The Reason
by Touchstone
Summary: When you lose everything, it takes someone extraordinary to bring you back to your feet. OE! UPDATED!
1. Just a Winter Night

A/N: Well, this is just the beginning, obviously, so probably lots of questions, which I promise will be answered! You know the drill- I live for reviews!

Disclaimer: I still don't own them…

The evening was a chilly one; snow was beginning to fall quite heavily and a gusty wind blew through the streets. Elliot Stabler watched with his forehead pressed up against the window as the storm progressed. It was just one of those nights. The divorce had gone through three months ago but he was still feeling the aftermath. Perhaps it was the coupling of his last partner's suicide and his split with Kathy that had him so affected. After a moment he slowly peeled himself from the window and stepped across his apartment, his bare feet padding gently against the floor. Reaching into the refrigerator he pulled out a beer and headed back to the couch.

By seven the snow was already over half a foot deep. Elliot flopped onto his back, tapping his fingers lightly on the empty bottle. He was often surprised at how quickly he had lost everything, and his complete inability to handle it. He didn't sleep anymore- he tossed and turned all night thinking of what he could have done better with Kathy and what he should have seen happening to his partner. But in the end, he always ended up at the same place- that his life would never again be the same. For the first time, he truly understood how emotional pain could be so much worse than physical. Sure, he had heard people say that, but in general he'd been happy and hadn't experienced that depth of pain.

Elliot knew Cragen was worried about him, and that Munch and everyone else in the precinct thought that he was blaming himself too much. But he hadn't worked in the field since his divorce, and had no real desire too. He had even heard it whispered that it would take a miracle to save him.

Meanwhile, a young detective was sitting on a barstool, chatting idly with her colleagues- well, at least the male ones. They were crowded completely around her, constantly offering to buy her drinks and inviting her on various dates. Olivia rolled her eyes slightly as a particularly forward young man gave her a drunken hug. She gave him a couple pats on the back to get him to let go before he staggered off to finish his beer. One of the older men grinned at her and asked, "Sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"I'm sure. Pespsi is fine." Olivia answered, eying him curiously.

"So… I hear you are asking for a transfer to SVU." He said, and immediately the entire circle went silent.

"Oh my God! Are you serious? No Olivia, you must stay with us!" exclaimed one of the younger uniforms.

Olivia flushed slightly, not quite sure what to think of all of this attention. After being in Homicide for nearly a year, she was used to the usual whistles and staring, but tonight it was definitely in excess. "Yes, the lieutenant told me they got an opening. And I talked to their Captain last week."

The silence followed again, and though the guys were looking quite depressed, there was an undercurrent of something else. Finally the older man again spoke up, a Detective by the name of Randy. "Perhaps you do not know the circumstances under which there is an opening…" he began, and then stopped, running over to the newspaper stack. When he found a satisfactory one, Randy brought it back over to her. "You probably haven't had time to read this with the Emitt case."

Olivia took the paper, and in a small corner was the picture a very sad looking cop in full uniform, touching the mahogany edge of a coffin. The headline read, 'At three month anniversary of cop's suicide, still no breaks in case of tortured and murdered schoolgirl.' Olivia eyes lingered on the photo and Randy seemed to notice.

"That's Detective Elliot Stabler. His partner couldn't handle that case so killed himself. Elliot's been so screwed up since- and then his wife left him not even two weeks later."

"That's horrible. Poor guy." Olivia said quietly, slowly prying her eyes from the paper.

"He's a nice guy, generally. Just don't get him angry. You'd have to watch yourself Olivia, with that argumentative side you've got." Randy replied with a grin.

Olivia laughed and then looked up to see her partner come stomping in. "Olivia, we've got to go."

"See you guys later." Olivia said a little to cheerfully, not at all disappointed in having to leave the drunk and very smitten men.

Her partner raised an eyebrow at her and as they walked out onto the sidewalk asked, "Breaking more hearts?"

"No. I seriously haven't a clue why they are all so interested in me. Except that I am practically the only single woman under thirty at the precinct." Olivia replied, "What's up?"

"Lieutenant Darby just called… says we need to check out something at a crime scene." He answered, opening the car door for her.

Olivia nodded thoughtfully as she clipped her seatbelt. She was unusually silent for the ride to the building, and her partner noticed. "You alright?"

"Of course. Just thinking." Olivia answered, though she felt a strange bubbling of nerves in her gut.

"Don't worry. You'll do great in SVU. And I'll get to retire." He said with a grin. Olivia grinned over at him and nodded. They got out of the car, the old abandoned building looming ominous in the dark night.

The phone rang shortly before ten, when Elliot was watching a rerun of some TV show. He reluctantly got up and answered. It was Cragen, and he hastily explained that he couldn't get a hold of anyone else but that Homicide desperately needed an SVU detective on a nearby scene. Elliot agreed to go, largely because he felt he couldn't let a victim suffer because he was too absorbed in his own issues, and also because no one else could help.

When Elliot arrived at the abandoned building there was already a throng of people milling about. A uniformed officer sprinted over to him as he got out of his car. "Are you the Detective from SVU?"

"Elliot Stabler. What's going on?"

The officer sighed and then quickly said, "Two Detectives were checking out a crime scene when a perp jumped them. One of them was stabbed multiple times and he died shortly after. But the girl… we don't know what he did to her. Figured we'd leave her to you."

Elliot stared at the officer. "You left her alone? You guys ought to know better than to ever leave a victim's side!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"She totally freaked out when a couple officers tried to approach her. Screamed when they tried to help her up. We figured we'd better call you, so that way you can get an idea of what happened before she totally loses it."

"Is she hurt?" Elliot yelled, furious with the way they were handling things.

The officer cringed slightly and replied, "Nothing life threatening that we could see. Of course, she didn't let them take a very good look. The medics are on their way. You'd better go see to her, she's on the second floor."

Elliot ran over to the steps of the building, jumping up them easily. As he hurried inside, he saw an older man lying in a pool of blood with several detectives standing around him. He turned his head and saw a small set of stairs. Bloody drag marks streaked through the dust. As he ascended the stairs and pushed the halfway ajar door open, his heart hammered in his chest for what he was going to find.

She couldn't remember what had happened very well, only a ripping pain to her stomach and the absolute agony that followed with being dragged up the stairs. And then there was the man on top of her, pressing into her. When she'd fought he held her wrist tighter, leaving his other hand down where it was. The cracking noise it made when it broke startled both of them, enough so that he finally pulled his hand from between her legs. But the last thing she remembered was him taking off his pants before applying his whole weight to her ribcage. After that, she blacked out.

She wanted to get up off the floor, but her back hurt too much to move. Her whole body was seized in a tremor as a fresh wave of fear fell over her. _What if he came back?_ The panic rising in her stomach made her breathing heavier, even though it was already quite labored.

It wasn't really the pain or the cold that made her so desperately afraid. Nor was it her inability to move from where she lay on the old wooden floor. And it wasn't even the fractured wrist, ribs, or deep wound to her abdomen. It was that for the first time in her life, she had to count on someone else to help her. She had never been good at that- trusting others with anything important. But now, she was being forced too count on someone with her life. She, Olivia Benson, had to actually believe that someone was going to help her. That someone actually cared enough.

People had come, and then they had left her after trying to drag her to her feet. She didn't want them to leave her, but they had. It just hurt too much for her to not scream when they tried to get her up. And now she was all alone.

Elliot found her lying on her back with one arm clenched to her lower abdomen and the other sprawled at her side. As his footsteps echoed in the chilly room she turned her head slightly in his direction, though she didn't open her eyes. He stepped carefully around a pile of junk so that he could get to her easier. Her body immediately shook in terror as he approached, but she was far too weak to cry out. "It's okay baby. I'm not going to hurt you." He told her softly, kneeling beside her. He laid one hand on her thigh and she instantly clamped her legs shut and curled them up tighter. Glancing over her he saw that although her pants were undone and her shirt was unbuttoned, it didn't appear that the perp had had the opportunity to finish. Elliot bit his lip, fighting desperately to keep his emotions in check. He wasn't going to screw this up, too. Elliot gently pulled her arm away from her stomach, quickly finding it to be soaked in blood. As he did so, she flailed with the last of her strength, trying to pull free. Her eyes were streaming with tears and she was still shaking in fear. Elliot let her arm settle back over the gaping wound to her abdomen and then shifted her up into his lap, quietly whispering that she was going to be alright. He ran a hand down her cheek and held her up close to him. And then, quite suddenly, she opened her eyes. Elliot felt as though his heart was going to break right then and there as she looked up at him with wide, tear filled chocolate brown eyes that reflected both horrible pain and fear.

When the man took her into his arms, Olivia was quite afraid that he was going to hurt her. But there was something different about him. One hand held her back while the other stroked her hair. He was being so gentle and wasn't touching her where she didn't want to be. But she wasn't quite sure, so she opened her eyes and looked up at him. His stormy blue eyes met hers and he stared at her with profound grief. Olivia sighed and then let her head fall back onto his chest, relief filling her. "Please… don't leave me…" she gasped, one hand gripping his shirt with all the strength she could muster.

"I won't, sweetheart. You just relax, and I'm going to take a look at you, alright?" Elliot told her gently, pressing his cheek to her feverish forehead.

She nodded vaguely, blinking slowly and letting tears continue to drip down her face. He looked over at her wrist that was laying limp at her side and pulled back the sleeve of her blouse. Heavy bruising and swelling covered a wide area of it, and she almost screamed when he lightly touched it to draw her sleeve back down. Feeling her breathing steady against his chest he placed his hand to her side, tracing his hand across it. When he ran his fingers over a large swollen bump she winced and pressed closer against him. He sighed and then reached down to ease her business slacks back up so that she wouldn't freeze when they went outside. She immediately tensed and whispered, "Don't… please… I promise I'll do anything you want… just don't hurt me…"

Elliot quickly moved his hand back up to her face and cradled it gently. "I am not going to hurt you. You have to trust me. We have to get your pants back up so you can go outside and not be cold anymore." He told her quietly, trying to give her a small amount of reassurance- though he knew from experience that she probably wouldn't understand. But when he reached down to try one more time, she didn't even flinch. As he drew them to their correct place, Elliot marveled at this victim's remarkable calm. She had trusted him so completely and blindly that he couldn't help but be nothing short of amazed.

Elliot carefully removed his jacket and covered her with it before starting to stand. As he picked her up she cried out in pain, pressing her face harder against his chest. Elliot felt blood seeping out from her wound onto his shirt and again felt his heart twist painfully. He stepped as carefully as possible down the stairs, feeling her start to shake again.

When they finally reached the outside of the building, Elliot was relieved to find the ambulance just arriving. The paramedics raced over to him with a stretcher and quickly helped him ease her down onto it. Elliot gently pried her hand from his shirt and told her, "It's alright, they're going to help you." But as the medics pulled back her blouse and eased her pants down farther to get at the knife wound to her side, her eyes grew panicked and she desperately reached for his hand. He took her much smaller one and squeezed it lightly, asking the medics, "Do you mind if I ride along?"

"Sure. We haven't treated many rape victims before." One replied while he inserted an IV into her arm.

"Alright, sweetheart, you're going to be fine. Just hang on a little while longer, okay? I'm Elliot, by the way." Elliot said, smiling gently at her as medics busily worked around them. In the light he saw clearly the offensive and defensive wounds running the lengths of her arms. "You're a fighter, aren't you?"

His eyes widened slightly as she actually smiled and nodded. "I saw you in the paper… I'm Olivia." She answered in a labored breath, taking one last look at him before she shut her eyes.

Elliot watched as the final latch was placed on her bandage and then said, "Okay Olivia, you ready to go to the hospital?"

She nodded painfully, tightening her grip on his hand.

That night Elliot sat in the waiting room of the hospital, his mind in a constant blur about the events that had just occurred and about the beautiful Olivia Benson. Her lieutenant had shown up at the ER, looking extraordinarily upset. He went on to tell Elliot that she had only been a Detective for nine months, and that she had great potential. So Elliot managed to pass some time by chatting with him, though he continued to think of her, not quite sure why he was already so attached to this case. All he knew was that it was personal, and if she died, he honestly didn't know if he could handle it.

Elliot sighed and then turned as he heard the door swing open. His heart jumped when he saw Olivia's doctor come trudging out and he leapt to his feet, asking, "How is she?"


	2. Next of Kin

A/N: Okay, this chapter is a lot of set up, the story should really get moving next chapter. Glad you guys like it so far! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. But I do own the plot, yay!

The Doctor smiled and said, "She's going to be alright. The knife didn't hit any vital organs and the wound was fairly shallow. She got quite the beating- her wrist is fractured in three places, she's got several cracked ribs, and multiple lacerations and contusions, but none are going to cause her any permanent problems. She'll be hurting pretty bad for a while though."

Elliot sighed and asked, "When can I see her?"

"As soon as she gets into her room, which ought to be in twenty minutes or so. I'll come back out because I want to talk with you about some things." The Doctor replied, patting Elliot's shoulder lightly before heading off.

Elliot collapsed back down into his chair, rubbing his forehead lightly. "Thank God," muttered Olivia's lieutenant, finally unclenching his hands. He looked over at Elliot and said, "I want to thank you for all you did for her."

With a somewhat surprised expression Elliot replied, "That's my job."

"Sure it is. But I know that it's been a rough few months for you."

"Yes, it has."

The lieutenant smiled slightly and said, "Well, I am quite sure that Olivia will do her best for you- provided she still wants the job." Elliot looked up curiously, about to ask what he was talking about when the lieutenant's phone rang. After a few seconds he hung up and told Elliot, "I have to head out, they are interrogating the bastard right now. Tell Olivia I'll be in tomorrow."

Just as the lieutenant was exiting, Elliot saw Cragen come hurrying in. "How is she doing?"

"She ought to be fine…" Elliot began, a little confused at Cragen's sudden appearance.

Cragen sat down beside him and said, "I got out just as fast as I could. This is unbelievable- I talked to her on Friday."

"About what?" asked Elliot, his blue eyes tired but quite intrigued.

Cragen sighed and replied, "She was going to transfer to SVU."

Elliot froze for a second and then said, "She's going to be my partner."

With an affirmative nod Cragen continued, "I was going to tell you. You are too good of a detective to stay at the desk. I thought that she seemed like a good match for you."

Elliot nodded slowly and said, "She recognized me from the paper."

"Really? How aware was she?"

"It's hard to say… it was obvious she didn't exactly know what was going on, and had all the physical reactions of a victim. But she did seem to grow a little better as time wore on."

"Mr. Stabler?" Elliot looked up and saw the Doctor standing just a couple feet away. "You can see her now." Cragen tagged along just behind them, and they stopped just outside of a room with a closed door. "We ran the rape kit. There was a great deal of skin from underneath her nails, but no sperm or spermicide was found. However, because of the trauma, I would say that your perp used his hand. He probably suffers from some nature of sexual dysfunction."

Elliot nodded slowly and then pushed open the door, shutting it quietly behind him. She was laying on her back, her head cocked just slightly as she looked over to see who was coming in her door. Though her face was a little battered and bruised, her brilliant eyes and soft complexion remained unchanged. Her chestnut hair was gracefully spread out around her pillow, a loose strand clinging gently to her cheek. Elliot smiled at her, quite sure she was just as beautiful as she had ever been. "How are you doing?"

"Not bad, considering. How's my partner?" Olivia asked.

"I'm sorry, he died on scene."

Olivia nodded slowly, a tear streaking down her face. Elliot decided to come a little closer and hesitantly touched the top of her hand. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Yes. I remember most of it…" Olivia said, taking his hand gently.

_"So the perp was supposedly over here…" explained Robert. Olivia nodded as her partner went through the sequence of the crime with her. After a moment, he paused, looking confused. "Hold on. This makes no sense."_

_Olivia watched as he trotted over into the next room and out of sight. She sighed and glanced into the dark corner at the side of the room. Curiously stepping forward she saw that the door was open to the closet underneath the stairs. As she glanced inside the empty closet the hairs on the back of her neck pricked. Immediately her hand went to her gun. But before she could even get a good grip on it someone slammed the door against her back. Olivia staggered and the man ran up and seized her around the waist, stabbing a small knife into her stomach. "They shouldn't have sent a lady cop." He muttered into her ear as he gave the knife a twist before removing it._

_She gasped in surprise, pain searing through her. The man quickly shoved her backward in the closet, pushing her against the wall. When he pressed his weight against her Olivia could feel exactly what he was going to do to her. "Don't you dare scream." The man hissed as he undid her belt, yanking the gun off and emptying the clip. With that he threw it into the corner._

_"Olivia, are you alright?" came Robert's voice from the next room. _

_The man seemed surprised that she had someone else with her and gave her a venomous glare before pulling out the knife again. Olivia dropped to the ground when he released her and gripped her side. "Robert! He's got a knife!" she screamed as the man ran out of the closet. _

_There was a loud scuffle, but it was over quickly, and the man came limping back towards her. "You stupid bitch! You are going to pay for that!" Olivia struggled to stand before he got to her, but it was a futile effort. He kicked her as hard as he could in the stomach and she smacked the wall. Then he seized her by the arms and hauled her to her feet. "Now, tell me how much you want me."_

_Olivia glared up at him and then used the last of her strength to knee him in the groin. He screamed in agony and took it out by hitting her across the face. Then he grabbed her harder and pulled her out of the closet and towards the stairs. Olivia felt tears rising in her eyes when she saw her old partner lying quite still on the ground. As they reached the base of the stairs the man struck her again and she fell to her knees. Her vision swam as he kicked her in the side and her head bumped heavily against the stairs. _

_The next thing she knew, the man was dragging her up the wooden steps. Olivia fought, but she was already weakening from blood loss. As they reached the top of the steps, the man banged open a door and threw her inside. Flipping her over onto her back, he seized her wrists, pinning them above her head. Olivia wriggled slightly as he lay down on top of her, running his tongue down her neck. "Settle down, it won't hurt as much if you behave." he muttered, ripping her blouse open. Olivia let out a shocked whimper as he pressed hard on her stab wound with his grimy hands. And then he moved his bloody hand, pulling down her pants. Olivia fought harder to stop him, but in the end, with a hard shove he parted her legs and pushed up inside her. That was the last straw. Olivia screamed as loud as she could._

_The man angrily pressed his weight into her, and her wrist began to burn with pain. It finally gave way, snapping with a loud pop. Olivia cried out in pain and the man withdrew his hand, placing it on her neck. Sloppily sliding over top of her he squeezed harder, just enough she that she could breathe but had great difficulty. It was quite pleasing for him to see her slow her struggling so that she could take a breath. Suddenly she reached out her good arm, dragging her nails through his skin. He furiously let go of her neck and backhanded her across the face. When she continued fighting he hit her again. And then several more times until she stopped writhing and lay still. She looked up at him with exhausted brown eyes as he removed his pants. He came down and knelt heavily on her chest, his crushing weight stopping her breathing. A couple of loud cracks echoed through the room. That was when she passed out._

Elliot squeezed her hand gently and said, "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. I should have reacted quicker." Olivia muttered, a tear dripping down her cheek, "I let my partner die."

"No you didn't. You did all you could."

Olivia didn't answer and merely shut her eyes a moment and then said, "Detective Stabler, I owe you a lot. I didn't think anyone was going to come."

"You don't owe me anything. Now you just get some rest. You need to get better so I can have you as a partner."

"If you still want me. This is not a very good first impression, now is it? I can't even fight off one perp and my partner gets killed." Olivia replied.

Elliot ran his hand lightly across her forearm and said, "Don't doubt yourself. I think that you will become a great Detective."

Olivia smiled and looked up at him. She slowly reached out and traced her fingers lightly down his jaw. "I'm sorry about your old partner."

He smiled half heartedly back and gave her hand a final squeeze before walking out.

The Doctor and Cragen were both waiting when he came back out, and they looked a little preoccupied about something. "What is it?" Elliot asked.

"I was just going through her forms… I want to release her next week, provided that she stays stable. But her next of kin was her partner, and I can't release her to be by herself." The Doctor said, glancing through her chart again.

"She can stay with me." Elliot volunteered immediately.

Cragen looked over at him in surprise and asked, "Elliot, are you sure?"

Elliot shrugged and said, "I have three bedroom apartment."

"No… I mean I am not sure you should get so involved… she's not out of the woods yet."

"Look Captain, I know you're worried and everything, but I will be okay. Besides, I want to help my future partner."

"Well if you are sure, I need you to come and fill out some paperwork, after I okay it with her." The Doctor said, and then walked into her room.

Olivia watched as her doctor came slowly walking in. She tensed slightly but calmed down after he gave her a gentle smile. "Detective Stabler wants you to come live with him when I release you next week. I can't release you unless you have someone to help take care of you."

"Really? He will do that for me?" Olivia questioned, looking astonished.

"He said he'd like too. But only if you are comfortable with it."

Elliot waited impatiently until the Doctor came back out. "Well?"

He smiled and said, "She says that she'd love to."

And for the first time in months, Elliot's smile lit up his eyes.

Meanwhile in a holding cell at a nearby precinct, a bulky man with blood all over his clothes sat on the cold ground. He didn't seem at all concerned, and was looking in amusement at the red stains on his hands. But his knee was aching fiercely from the blow the old Detective had landed on him, and he was still in a great deal of pain from the stupid bitch's hits. They hadn't fought him before, especially little skinny things like her. But she had scratched his arms raw, bruised him all over, and even caused a deep laceration just above his groin, which was by far in the most pain. He looked up as he saw a man come walking over to look into his cell.

Lieutenant Darby glared in at the man, who looked to be in deep thought. He was easily over twice Olivia's weight and was a good six inches taller. _Poor thing never stood a chance_, thought Darby as he unlocked the door. "Mr. Weathers, come with me."

He slowly stood, the handcuffs chaffing his wrists irritably. Darby looked livid. Weathers just smiled at him, shoving a small key deeper into his pocket. As his fingers grazed it, he was quite confident that they were never going to find out the magnitude of the situation. They were going to be so focused on the murder of one cop and the rape of another that they would be blinded to everything else. Only time stood in his way. He had to find a way to keep them distracted until summer. As Darby roughly grabbed his shoulder, Weathers concluded that it wouldn't be hard to push this for months.


	3. Visitors

A/N: I am soooo sorry it took so long to get this up! AP Tests are taking up my life! Oh well, I am almost done… and then I have final exams… so I will try to update as soon as possible!

Also, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, you know I love them! Please keep them coming!

Disclaimer: Shocking news- I don't own them. Pretty stunning, I know.

Elliot brought Olivia home the following Monday morning. She slept almost the entire car ride and through him carrying her up the stairs. The first days went by quickly, Olivia spending them sleeping. Elliot was fortunate because the Captain had given him a week off to keep an eye on her, which also gave him a much needed break.

That Wednesday, for the first time in a while, Elliot wasn't avidly watching the football game. Instead he continually checked on Olivia, who was fitfully dozing on the couch. He looked at her sleeping form, curled up underneath a thick comforter with her silken hair draping her pale face. Elliot felt anger bubble up in him as he wondered why anyone would hurt her so badly. Though he had only known her a week, he was certain that she was the nicest person he had ever met. With a sigh he pried his eyes from her and turned back to watching the game. After a particularly interesting play he muttered, "That was definitely incomplete."

"No, it was pass interference."

Elliot whipped around to see Olivia now awake, watching the game with interest through exhausted eyes. "Hey. I didn't know you were awake. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm okay." Olivia replied.

"Well let me know." Elliot said, and then heard the referee call a pass interference. "Good call." Olivia smiled slightly, though normally she would have launched into a lecture as to why it was called that way, but she didn't quite feel up to it today. "You want to watch something else? My wife hated football."

"No. I like it." She answered, eying the screen intently.

The final hour of the game was rather exciting, and Olivia seemed to greatly enjoy watching it. When Elliot turned the TV off after some brief news highlights he found that Olivia was still awake. She looked more pale than before and her eyes more distant. Elliot quickly got up and knelt at the edge of the couch. "Liv? Are you alright?"

She nodded and said, "Don't worry. I can't feel much with these medications they have me on."

"Do you want to go to bed?" Elliot asked, and knew the answer. She gave an affirmative nod and slowly drew her arms out from underneath the blanket, placing them around his neck. Elliot gently scooped her up and carried her off to the guest bedroom. When he pulled up the covers around her she looked at him pleadingly.

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

Elliot looked at her in surprise, but nodded. Stepping around to the opposite side of the bed he climbed in. Olivia smiled slightly at him and scooted over closer. She took his hand with her good arm and idly ran her fingers across his palm and forearm. Elliot could feel his spine tingling at the gentle touch, something he hadn't experienced in a long while. After a moment she scooted even closer, gripping his hand tightly. Settling up against his chest Olivia sighed deeply. Elliot laid a hand on her side, where her shirt had ridden up slightly and was exposing the slowly fading bruises running up her ribcage. Quite suddenly she felt a sob rise in her throat and struggled to hide it by burying her face in Elliot's shirt. "How could I let this happen to me?" she cried, shutting her eyes tight against tears.

Elliot took her shoulders and said, "It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could, and most importantly, you survived."

Olivia looked back at him and hesitantly nodded before shutting her eyes and going to sleep.

The following morning started Olivia's third full day living at Elliot's. She spent the majority of it sleeping, in between Elliot waking her up to force her to take her medication. When she fell asleep late in the evening, Elliot was busy doing the dishes when the doorbell rang. He looked up curiously, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw who it was.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Maureen, jumping up into her fathers arms. Elliot grinned and gave her a tight hug back before setting her down. "I thought I would stop by and say hi. My friend Angela gave me a ride here on her way to dance class."

"It's great to see you! Come on in." Elliot said, pushing the door open wider. Maureen happily trotted in, but ground to a halt. He saw her gaze fixed on Olivia, who was napping on the couch wearing one of his T-shirts.

"Whoa, new girlfriend?" Maureen asked in surprise, turning to look at her father.

"No, that's Olivia. She's a cop too, and got hurt on the job a little over a week ago. I'm taking care of her because she doesn't have any family." Elliot explained, and his daughter's face instantly relaxed.

"Oh. Well I was going to say, you might be taking things a little too quickly. But never mind. Is it okay if I talk to her?" Maureen questioned.

"As soon as she wakes up." Elliot replied, "How's everyone doing?"

Maureen shrugged and said, "Okay I guess. I can't stand mom's new boyfriend."

Elliot immediately narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why not?"

"Dad, it's not what you're thinking. He's just such a nerd. He is always trying to be cool talking to me, its really irritating."

"How are your sisters and brother?"

"They're good, looking forward to seeing you this weekend." Maureen said, walking into the living room and sitting down in the chair. Once again, her attention switched to Olivia and she asked, "What happened to her?"

Elliot sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain. "She got stabbed by a perp and then he proceeded to break her wrist and several ribs while he was…"

Maureen's eyes widened and she said, "She got raped? After he did all that other stuff to her?"

Elliot nodded slowly and then tried to change the subject. "Do you want dinner? I was making spaghetti, but she usually doesn't eat much."

"Sure!" Maureen said enthusiastically, watching as her father walked out.

When Elliot returned twenty minutes later to tell her the food was ready, he was surprised to find her excitedly chatting with Olivia about something incredibly girly sounding. And Olivia was actually laughing. They turned when he came ambling in, and Maureen grinned broadly, standing and walking by her dad. As she did so, Elliot heard her whisper, "Good choice on her. She's great."

Olivia smiled at him and said, "Your daughters quite the character." With a slight laugh and nod Elliot reached over to pick Olivia up, but she put a hand gently on his chest. "I want to try to walk."

Biting her lip slightly Olivia carefully pulled herself up from the couch, being greatly helped by Elliot's arm around her waist. When she found herself standing Olivia seemed stunned. But she took a few more ginger steps and Elliot followed close behind.

After dinner Elliot and Olivia walked Maureen to the door, as her friend was on her way to pick her up. "Goodnight, baby. See you soon." Elliot said, smiling broadly at his eldest child.

"Night Dad. Great to meet you, Olivia. Hope you feel better soon!" Maureen said, and leaned over to give her an awkward hug. Olivia, leaning up against Elliot's side for support with his arm around her waist, was quite shocked at the gesture. However, a smile crept to her lips as he gave the teenager a gentle hug back.

A knock on the door told them Angela was there, and so they backed away slightly. Angela smiled and greeted them while Maureen waved. As they both stepped into the hall, Angela murmured, "Your dad's girlfriend is so pretty."

Elliot shut the door, looking down to see if Olivia had heard. Judging by the flush in her cheeks, she had. But as soon as the door clicked Olivia gazed back up at him, her eyes aglow with happiness. "I actually walked. I am going to get better!" she exclaimed, and without warning draped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his collarbone. Elliot slowly placed his hands on her back, gently pulling her closer. The warm heat of her breath tickled his neck and he struggled to keep his emotions under control. He couldn't do this again. Pulling away he kept only a slight grip on her hand to make sure she wouldn't fall. "I'm sorry." she said immediately, "I didn't mean to be so forward…"

Taking in her distressed appearance, Elliot quickly told her, "No, it wasn't you. It's just that…"

"What?" Olivia pressed gently, taking a cautious step forwards. Elliot just shook his head, not quite knowing what to say. Olivia reached out and again wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back lightly. But this time her embrace wasn't ecstatic and was simply comforting. "You are always telling me that I am going to get better, so why do you have so little faith that you will?" Elliot looked down at her in surprise, once again not finding words. She drew her hand up and traced it down his jaw before resting it just above his collarbone. "You also told me that you knew how much it hurt. When I was lying there, you were the only person who came to help me. I wish you would let me return the favor."

Elliot swallowed slightly as he looked into her bright eyes. "You don't owe me anything, Liv."

"I don't want you to hurt anymore." Olivia told him, taking his face in her hands. When she started to slide her hand down he suddenly took it and placed it against his chest.

"I was supposed to go and talk to a victim. But I didn't want go on my own because my partner had really made a connection with her, so I stopped by his apartment on the way. When he didn't answer his door I decided that I would just let myself in. And that's when I found him. He shot himself. The file for our previous case was lying open on the kitchen counter, with all the crime scene photos on top. And he left a note for me. He said he didn't want me to think it was my fault, that it was his decision. I started too stay at work constantly after that happened, I just didn't know how to talk to Kathy about it. That was the last straw for her. She filed for divorce two weeks afterwards. And that's why I am the way I am now." Elliot said, for the first time really talking about what had happened.

Olivia gazed back up at him, her chocolate eyes sad. She slowly moved her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers causing his skin to tingle slightly. Then with a very deliberate gesture she pulled him to close the distance between them. Elliot was so surprised he didn't respond for a moment, until she lightly bit his lower lip and he relaxed. Even as he felt her open her mouth to let him in, it was not a sexual kiss. Instead it was a comforting gesture of true concern and care- and he was almost as surprised by this as he was the kiss itself. But despite his head screaming at him to stop, Elliot placed a hand on her back and let his tongue glide inside her mouth. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but eventually she slowly drew away. She flushed slightly and then laid her head against his chest, completely exhausted. Elliot quickly brought himself back to reality and realized that she was still a very sick rape victim. He leaned over and scooped her up, carrying her off to the bedroom.

That night Olivia lay awake, looking up at the ceiling with her hands on her belly. She couldn't believe she had kissed him- now he was going to hate her. But he had just looked so sad. She let out a sigh and pulled her covers up closer around her. Never before had she fallen so hard and fast for guy. Restlessly turning over, Olivia tapped her cast lightly. It was slowly sinking in that he would not want her. She was after all now not only the child of a rape, but a rape victim. Damaged goods.

A knock on the door made her jump. "Liv? Can I come in?"

"Sure." She replied, sitting up slightly as the door opened.

He came to sit on the opposite side of the bed, saying simply, "I don't want to be alone tonight."

Olivia rolled over to face him as he slipped under the covers. "I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Elliot shook his head, "You didn't." Olivia smiled slightly and once again curled against his chest. He slid his hands up and down her back, tenderly returning the affection she had shown him. She arched up against him when his hand touched a bare spot on her back, and he proceeded to hold her closer. Slowly raising her head to look at him, Elliot pressed a kiss to her cheek. He then moved to her jaw, and back up to her lips. This time the kiss was considerably more intense. Olivia felt herself giving into him, for everything he wanted. As he dropped his mouth to the side of her neck, she felt her heart speed up and her breathing coming quickly. But she was still so sore that she knew she couldn't do this. She gently pushed him away. He immediately looked ashamed. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. I just can't… but could you stay?" she asked, taking his hand gently.

"Of course." Elliot replied, and she nestled up against him. It wasn't long before she was asleep. He felt like kicking himself. He had made out with a rape victim- and very nearly done more than that. That was the last thing she needed at this point. He was supposed to be making her better, not terrorizing her with sex so soon after what had happened to her. Plus she was going to be his partner. Elliot shut his eyes, the whole situation far more complicated than he would like it to be.

Little did he know, it was about to become even more complicated.

In the morning Olivia woke to find that she was feeling the best she had since it happened. Though slightly surprised by this odd surge of health, she wasn't about to complain. She looked at Elliot, who had his arm slung protectively around her waist. The events of the night came flooding back to her. What they had almost done… It was odd, really, that other guys still made her nervous, but she was okay with sleeping with Elliot. Running a hand through her hair Olivia eased herself up, her belly still quite sore. Elliot woke when she jostled the bed slightly and quickly helped sit her up. "Good morning." He said with a smile, placing a slight kiss to her hair.

"Morning." Olivia replied, stifling a yawn.

At breakfast Olivia actually ate nearly a full plate of food, a first since her attack. Elliot was quite impressed by her progress and noted that some of the color had returned to her skin, adding radiance to her already beautiful appearance. Elliot trotted off to take a quick shower after settling Olivia on the couch. He had been gone about fifteen minutes when the doorbell rang again. Olivia curiously stood, wincing slightly as her ribs protested. Walking slowly but determinedly to the door, she glanced through the peephole and nearly fell over in shock. "Olivia?" came the muffled voice outside the door. She quickly swung it open.

"Dominic! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Olivia, gazing at the stocky man in his forties. He had been her friend for several years, and he was the classic every girls dream guy- blue eyes, blonde hair, well built, and an English accent. But she liked him for his sense of humor and spunk.

Dominic suddenly enveloped her in a tight hug, apparently very upset about something. "I am so sorry that this happened to you. It's all my fault."

When he finally let go, Olivia looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course it's not your fault."

"No, you don't understand, that guy, he saw you at the marina. He picked you because I took you there." Dominic explained, pulling out a packet of pictures. "I found these in his yacht."

Olivia took them, quickly finding several of her and Dom on his boat. "You went through his yacht?"

"Yes, I saw his picture on the news after I heard about what happened to you, and I called the police. So I helped them execute a search warrant."

"Did you take these to the precinct?"

"Of course. Those are my copies."

Olivia nodded and said, "It's not your fault Dom. Okay?"

"Alright. But still… there's something weird about the bastard. I think he and some others are smuggling something in, but I can't be sure…" he began, and then looked up to see Elliot walking out.

"Elliot, this is Dominic Liechtenstein. He's a friend of mine that works for the Coast Guard. Dominic, this is my friend Elliot Stabler."

The two shook hands, and Dom said, "Well, I hope that you are okay, Olivia. How's the baby?"

Elliot's eyes widened and he turned to face Olivia, who was looking quite upset. "Dom!" she exclaimed, and he immediately seemed to realize his mistake.

"I'm sorry… I thought he knew!"

"Knew what?" questioned Elliot, looking back at Dom.

He hesitated before answering, looking to Olivia, who hopelessly shook her head. "She's almost four months pregnant."

A/N #2: Okay, I know, much confusion at this point! But I promise it will all work out! Also, though I am referencing the fact that Elliot's previous partner killed himself (mentioned in 'Execution'), I really have no clue the exact circumstances.

R&R!


	4. A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

A/N: Sorry it took a while to get this up, I have had it written, but my dad got really really sick and was in the hospital for a few days, so I didn't' have time to post.

Also, I just want to mention that I am gauging Olivia's 'timeline' as far as how she recovers from the rape based upon my limited personal experience with a close friend of mine. She has a similar personality to Olivia's, so I tried to kind of replicate the way she dealt with things in this story. However, she is pretty much the only firsthand experience I have had with rape victims, so I apologize for any mess ups!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I even asked nicely.

Dom looked extremely apologetically to Olivia, still flushing slightly. "I really thought he knew. But I swear, I haven't told anyone else."

"It's yours?" Elliot questioned, still shell shocked by this news.

Dominic immediately shook his head furiously, "I would never hurt her that way. Plus no kid would want me for a father." Then he gazed back to Olivia, "But it's okay right?"

"Yes, they said it was very close, but the baby will be just fine." Olivia replied, self consciously placing her arm over her stomach.

"Good. Well I really have to head out, I am supervising the writing of some laws regarding boat traffic in the marina area, but I am glad you are okay. Oh, and let me know if the bastard stops sending you checks."

"Thanks Dom. How's Natalie?"

"She's good. Almost a whole month!" he said, smiling broadly at his new length of relationship record. Olivia grinned and gave him a high five. Then Dom frowned slightly and continued, "But… I am going to be moving."

Olivia's eyes widened and she asked, "Are you kidding me? Where to?"

"Florida. There isn't a whole lot for me to do in my line of work during the winter here, so my boss is having me shipped off to help patrol illegal immigration in about a month. But don't worry, its only for three months. It's just temporary."

"Oh. Well I am going to be coming and visiting you soon, alright?"

"Sounds great. Take care." Dom said, making a quick exit.

Olivia's smile faded slightly as she turned back to Elliot, "I was going to tell you."

"Were you?" Elliot asked, feeling a distinct sense of loss- again.

That evening after Olivia took a brief shower she came back into the living room, finding Elliot sitting with his legs folded up underneath him, looking to be in deep thought. "Hey." She said quietly, sitting down near him.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Elliot asked, glancing over at her.

"Okay." Olivia replied, pushing a piece of wet hair away from her eyes. "Look, no one else but Dom and the father knows. Its not that I didn't want to tell you, I just didn't know how to bring it up."

Elliot nodded slowly, "And Dom isn't the father?"

"No. He's just a friend."

"Oh yes?"

"I met him about six years ago, when I first became a cop. We were called to a homicide scene and his father had beaten his mother to death with a rifle. His father had called Dom because he 'had something important to tell him', and so he came over. He very narrowly missed getting shot and managed to call the cops. We had a lot in common- commitment issues, mostly. But we were the only constants in each other's lives, always being able to count on each other to be nothing more than a friend. I could trust him to not try anything when I fell asleep at his house or on his boat, and he could trust me to not to attempt to convince him to have sex with me- which is what the majority of his female friends did at the time. So, no, he's not the father."

"Then who is?" Elliot questioned, looking at her with his penetrating blue eyes.

Olivia looked away, "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I just can't. I never wanted to get pregnant, and it only happened once. It was a huge mistake." Olivia replied honestly.

"How did the baby make it through all that trauma?" Elliot asked.

"I have no idea. I guess he just didn't stab the right place and didn't effectively beat me around enough." Olivia said, "It probably also helped that the perp couldn't tell I was pregnant. The doctor told me it was close… he did an ultrasound when you weren't around."

Elliot nodded slowly, gazing down at her stomach, which was hardly swollen at all. Olivia moved a little closer, taking his hand lightly. Then he suddenly shifted it to rest on her belly. "Well, he or she will be a good kid, with a great person like you as a mother." He said, and then pulled it away, standing and going into the kitchen.

Olivia sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

That weekend was Elliot's one to have the kids. Olivia had to admit, she was a little nervous about meeting all of them. She was, however, quite pleasantly surprised that they didn't seem to mind having her around. In fact, Lizzie took an instant liking to her, insisting on sitting next to her at the table, and telling her all about her major drama going on in her first grade class.

Over the course of the following month, Olivia and Elliot didn't mention what had happened that interesting night they both lost control, and it didn't happen again. Olivia was extraordinarily lucky to have no relapses of infection and improved in leaps and bounds. On her visit to the doctor precisely a month and a half after the incident, she was informed that she could go back to living on her own. She was also given the progress report on the baby, who was doing just fine. Though Olivia was relieved to not be a burden on Elliot anymore, she felt a profound sense of sadness that she would once again be all alone.

That evening after she packed up her few belongings at Elliot's she headed out to the living room where he sat reading a book. "If you need anything, you'll call?" Elliot asked her, lightly setting the book aside and looking up at her. Olivia nodded and sat lightly on his lap.

"Thanks so much, for everything."

"It has really been a pleasure, seeing you get better." Elliot said, adjusting so that he lay down, half propped up by the armrest of the couch. Olivia settled in between his legs, laying her head on his chest and listening to the steady sound of his breathing. Elliot wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling the bump in her stomach. He shut his eyes and kissed the top of head in a very drawn out gesture of reluctance to see her go. Olivia sighed in contentment as he ran his hand up her arm.

Elliot had to testify the next day in court, and was quite surprised when he ran into Olivia's lieutenant who was just leaving. "Lieutenant Darby!"

Darby turned and smiled at Elliot, "Detective. How is Benson doing?"

"Really well. She's going home today." Elliot replied, and Darby nodded happily.

"Good. I am so glad to hear it."

"What brings you here today?" Elliot asked, curiously looking at the file in Darby's hand.

"Oh, just a Coast Guard issue." Replied Darby off handedly.

Elliot immediately felt a strange sense of foreboding and asked, "What kind of issue, if I may ask?"

Darby shrugged and said, "Of course. It's no big deal really. It's just the department is looking into hiring some Coast Guard employees to teach some undercover operatives to boat. In fact, I believe SVU is catching the assignment. However, there is one guard that I don't want having any part of the training."

"Why's that?"

"Well… I suppose I should show you these." Darby said, handing over a pack of pictures in the file. Elliot took them curiously. The first photo was a little blurry but quite clearly showed some sort of party. The ones that followed were of a pretty dark haired woman and her blonde haired date. Elliot nearly dropped the whole pack as he realized who it was. The next photo showed them dancing, perhaps a little to close. But in the one after it, he was kissing her with his hand pulling the end of her skirt up her thigh. Elliot wasn't sure he wanted to keep looking after that, but decided to try to continue. In the pictures that followed, she had his hand and was dragging him off towards the back of the room. The final picture, however, made by far the biggest statement. Olivia was collapsed into Dominic's arms, her hair soaked with sweat and her dress quite obviously hastily put on. She was gripping his shirt and he looked very upset. The only odd thing about the picture was that as opposed to looking at Olivia, Dom was looking straight at the camera- and upon second glance, he was more than upset, he was angry. "He made an appearance at a party I happened to be attending. Luckily, I managed to get enough pictures with my camera phone to get the point across. The department doesn't need him causing trouble with a detective on the case- plus I am having them check into his background." Elliot stared at the pictures, and Darby said helpfully, "That's Olivia, of course."

"When was this?" Elliot asked, his heart hammering in his chest.

Darby thoughtfully rubbed his chin and said, "Well, about five months ago."

Elliot slowly started to hand back the pictures, but Darby pushed them away. "You can keep them, I was going to give them to Olivia."

Olivia was just getting settled back into her apartment that evening when she heard a knocking at the door. "Coming!" Much to her surprise, it was Elliot. "Hey! What brings you here?"

"I ran into your lieutenant today at court. He told me to give these to you." Elliot said simply, handing over the folder.

Olivia took it in slight confusion and opened it up. Her jaw dropped and she stared at the pictures. "Elliot… I can explain these."

"Can you? You told me you two were just friends. Did you always let your friends feel you up?"

"No, I swear that's the only time that ever happened." Olivia began, biting her lip slightly.

"When was this?" Elliot questioned, though he already knew the answer.

Olivia hesitated a moment. "Five months ago."

"That's how many months pregnant you are Olivia, or have you forgotten that? You lied to me. He is the father."

"No! He's not, Elliot you have to believe me."

"Okay fine, let me rephrase. Did you get pregnant that night?"

Olivia raised her chin defiantly. "Yes, I did." Elliot shook his head and without a word turned to walk down the steps. "Elliot! I'm sorry." Olivia said quietly, but he didn't turn around.

Dom, meanwhile, was reading his boating magazine while his girlfriend was getting changed out of her work clothes. He tossed it aside when the doorbell rang. "Well hello gentlemen, what can I do for you?" he asked pleasantly, seeing two of his colleagues standing there.

They both looked rather uncomfortable and one said, "Look Dominic, I am really sorry about this, but I am supposed to warn you that the boss wants to pull some of your financials. It will be a lot easier if you cooperate."

Dom hid his confusion by grinning devilishly and replying, "Oh, I don't know if I can let them do that. They might find out about all the extra money I get stripping."

The man winced and said, "This is serious. Are you going to cooperate or not?"

"Sure. Do you want a DNA sample too?" Dom asked, still grinning.

"Ok, well then sign this. No DNA."

As he was signing, his girlfriend came walking out in her FDNY shirt. The men both perked up and one said, "Wow Dom, a firefighter. You scored with this one. When you're done with her let me know."

Dom finished signing and shoved the form back at them. "Shut up. Look at her again, and I'll call the cops." Then his face broke out into a wide grin and he said, "Wait, they're already here." Olivia raised an eyebrow at the two men and pulled out her badge.

"Detective Benson. Is there a problem here?"

"No… have a good evening, Dom." said one of them hurriedly and they both turned to race down the steps. After they were a good distance away, Dom turned to Olivia.

"Well, come on in. Not that I mind, but how come you're here so late?" Dom said, placing a hand on her back and helping her in.

"I just had something to tell you." Olivia began, not quite sure how to begin in front of Natalie.

She was saved, however, by Natalie excusing herself to go take a quick shower. "What's up? Are you okay?" Dom asked her in concern, sitting down beside her on the couch.

"Yes, I'm fine. But Elliot brought these pictures by today." Olivia told him, handing him the portfolio.

Dom sighed as he flipped through them and then asked, "Where'd he get these?"

"Darby."

"That little bastard! Does he have anything better to do than spy on us? He's just pissed because I dated his ex and she told him I was better in…" Dom began, but stopped with an apologetic grin to Olivia. "Anyways… I can't even believe he has the nerve to spread these around."

"Well I just wanted to warn you." Olivia said, starting to stand.

"Liv, you can stick around. What's wrong?" Dom asked, staying her hand.

"Nothing. I just feel like crap that's all."

Dom frowned and said, "Why? If this is about that episode at the party, it wasn't your fault. You went to get drinks and half an hour later you come back in a complete daze. I knew what had happened."

"It was consensual. I never said no."

Dom looked quite frustrated and exclaimed, "Ya, consensual rough, to drunk-to-not-consent sex. Olivia, I still say you should file for child support, no more of letting him do it under the counter with cash. That's bullshit."

"I know… it's just… I don't know if I can handle all of this. I have to testify tomorrow, and you are leaving…" Olivia said, a tear dripping down her face.

Dom reached out and touched her cheek. "You'll be alright. It's just been an awful few months. But soon, it will start looking up, I promise."

Olivia nodded slowly, but couldn't hold her sobs back anymore and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shirt. Dom held her closely, gritting his teeth against the anger he felt towards everyone who had ever done anything to hurt her. And that included him. If he had just not let her get out of his sight at the god damn party, he seriously doubted any of this would have happened.

The most painful part about it was that she wouldn't let him breathe a word to anyone what he knew. And he knew exactly what had occurred, but more importantly, who it was.

A/N #2: Okay, well next chapter should answer some more questions as well as talk more about the case. In the meantime… R&R!


	5. An Old Case

A/N: Wow. It's been a while.

I feel I owe you poor reader's an explanation. So in short, I have been extremely busy with flying out to my college for a 3 day registration-orientation thing, dealing with AP and final exams, graduation, and to top it all off, going to physical therapy four times a week after a girl slammed into my car as I was driving home from school, completely screwing up my back and neck. Anyways, sorry for the delay, I feel like such a loser!

Lol, well enjoy, I hope the chapter is ok, I wrote it in about eight million pieces which I then strung together. Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Still.

Olivia was quite surprised at how time had managed to slow itself down so much following Dom's departure. It had only been a week since her friend had left, and it felt like a year. She supposed it partially due to the trial- though that seemed a little odd as it had gone so well. Marshall Weather's had been convicted of murder and assault, as the rape was a little sketchy. He was, however, going to be in jail for a very long time.

And then there was the matter of Elliot. He was nice to her, of course, but never really engaged her much beyond the usual conversation. The last thing she wanted was to see him in the same state that she had met him in- professional, gentle, but very detached. And now he was slipping back into that.

She sighed as she stood to go to the window, laying a hand on her stomach. The baby was doing fine, so she wasn't quite sure why she was so concerned about it. Maybe it was the shock of finding out she was pregnant after just one lapse in judgment. One time.

A knock on the door made her turn. Olivia made her way over to the door, swinging it open to find Natalie gazing back at her. "Olivia! How are you?"

Olivia smiled and let her inside. "I'm not bad. Let me guess, Dom sent you over to check on me."

Natalie nodded and said, "He's worried about you. You weren't answering your phone."

"Well I'm okay. I can take care of myself."

"Sure you can. I was wondering if you would want to come with me. I am supposed to ride his horse and he said you liked riding her."

Olivia laughed and said, "I am probably not as good at it as you, plus my doctor says no jumping. But if you want me too, sure."

"Good! When we are there we can call Dom and he will be reassured that you are doing okay." Natalie replied.

When they arrived, Dom's mare, Kiara, looked over the stall door eagerly at them. She buried her nose in Olivias shoulder, expecting the usual scratching of her ears. Olivia grinned and obliged the sweet horse while Natalie went and grabbed her tack. Olivia went about brushing the horse while Natalie saddled her.

"So has what's his face…" Natalie began as she put on the mares splint boot. "Great, this has got a broken hook. Oh well, I am sure Dom's got an extra pair." She sighed and got up, walking into the tackroom. Digging around the saddle rack, Natalie noticed a grimy old tack trunk lying underneath it. She knelt down and brushed off the top layer of dust. Judging by the initials, it was Dom's mothers. Natalie eyed the lock and then quickly trotted back out to her truck to get the pair of bolt cutters she had there. "I really hope there are some extras in here." Natalie muttered as she adjusted the cutters on the lock.

After putting up a good fight, the lock finally broke. Natalie eagerly shoved it aside and yanked up the lid. But there weren't any splint boots. The trunk was overflowing with bottles upon bottles of prescription drugs- and judging by the dates on the labels, they were retrieved just a week before she had been killed. "Olivia!"

Olivia stood by the wall as she watched the cops finish up their report. A detective from narcotics walked over to her and said, "Well, they seem to be the real deal. They don't appear to be fake, but we won't know for sure until they get to the lab. It seems you have found the motive for murder in the old Liechtenstein case- we have been looking for these for a long time." Olivia nodded slowly. "You want me to notify Dominic? Standard procedure, you know, for us to check him out."

"No… I'll do it." Olivia replied, running a hand through her hair. With that she began the trek back to her car.

"Olivia, where are you going?" Natalie called, hurrying over to intercept her.

"I just have to talk to someone…" Olivia told her, and Natalie drew to a halt.

* * *

Darby looked only mildly surprised to see her. "Olivia. Looking beautiful as usual tonight. What can I do for you?"

Olivia glared at him and stepped inside. As she leaned back against the wall Darby clicked the dead bolt and turned back to face her. "You know why I'm here."

"The Liechtenstein case."

"That's right. Why didn't you tell me that it was dug related?"

Darby sighed and answered, "I didn't think it was important."

Olivia stepped forward and exclaimed, "You didn't think it was important that Michelle Liechtenstein was murdered two weeks after she intercepted a huge run of illegal prescription drugs? What the hell was going on?"

"How far are you going to push this, Olivia?" Darby asked, coming in so close that she could feel the heat of his breath on her face.

Olivia shifted somewhat uncomfortably as he walked behind her, brushing up against her back. "As far as it takes. Tell me what you know, Darby."

Darby hesitated and then began, "Michelle had called us saying she knew her husband was smuggling drugs. She offered to help us out. She got the drugs off his boat and was going to put them in a safe place so that while we were doing the 'paperwork' they wouldn't be shipped off. Narcotics never could find them after she got killed, so we never really thought it to be necessary to talk about them. I guess we should have checked her barn."

"So that's why she got killed." Olivia said, for the first time truly seeing the whole picture of the heinous crime.

Darby nodded. "Yep. Too bad. She was very beautiful, like you. And now its time for you to move on. This case is closed. We nailed the guy on murder even without proof of the drugs existence. He's never getting out."

"SVU is getting a case in the summer. You didn't want Dominic working it with us. This is why, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. We have never been able to quite infiltrate the community of boaters, and so since a series of rapes seem to be connected to the smuggling, SVU is catching. I, however, didn't want him involved. He's to close to it." Darby said, and Olivia could tell he was avoiding something.

"Darby, let's not play games. Tell me." Olivia demanded.

Darby smiled and reached out to take her face in his hands. Olivia winced but let him hold her there for a moment. "I truly am sorry that we could never have been anything more. But…" he murmured, stroking the side of her face and then moving down to her neck.

"Darby…" Olivia said urgently, her breath speeding up. As his hand slipped down the center of her chest she quickly shoved him away. "Lieutenant!"

"Sorry. Anyways, Mr. Liechtenstein is under investigation. In the time that he has been head of Coast Guard here, three times as many drugs are being smuggled in. I am worried that he and his father were in on this."

Olivia's jaw dropped and she exclaimed, "He would never do this."

"I told you I don't know for sure. But just watch your back, especially because the baby…"

"He is my best friend, Darby. And so help me, if you do anything to screw up his job I am going to tell everyone about your little secret." Olivia hissed, and Darby grinned.

"You wouldn't dare. You have guts, Olivia, that's why I like you. But sometimes you just don't use your head. Sticking up for your friends is great and all, but there comes a point when you have to accept if they are doing something wrong."

"He's not."

"You are so sure? Look at his father. Beat his one hundred pound wife until he fractured her spine and she couldn't get up to fight him, raped her, and then he hit her so hard that he gave her a cerebral hemorrhage. Not many crimes come close to that amount of depravity. Is it such a long shot that his son would have been raised on such violent tendencies?"

"Darby, he can't help what his father did."

"Has he ever hit you?" Darby asked, his tone confident.

"No!" Olivia yelled, furious at her old lieutenant.

"Okay. Well just a heads up. Now surely you are going to give me something for all that information. I can think of a few…" he said, his grin even wider.

"You gave that up on your own. And don't you dare touch me again."

"Oh Olivia, you are far too emotional for your own good. You liked it once."

"No, I didn't." Olivia replied, backing up as he approached her again.

"You are a liar." Darby answered.

Olivia had had about enough of this and said, "See you later." As she started to step away he seized her arms.

"You aren't going to leave."

"Yes I am." Olivia answered, becoming very aware of his body pressing against her. She immediately started to fight to get free when she felt exactly what he wanted. When she managed to pull her hand loose she hit him as hard as she could in the face. He fell backwards, looking at her in shock. Olivia just smiled and trotted out to the door.

As she walked out in the cold air her heart was still pounding. She would not let another guy violate her. It was a short drive from Darby's to her apartment. Olivia made her way up the steps, rubbing her belly lightly with her hand. When she reached her landing, she was surprised to see Elliot sitting with his back against her door. "Elliot? What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, her eyes wide.

"Oh. I just wanted to say that I am sorry." Elliot said, standing up quickly.

"That's alright. Believe me, you aren't the only one who thinks that Dom's the father. And those pictures don't help, do they?" Olivia said with a slight smile.

Elliot shook his head but found himself grinning stupidly as he looked at her. "I also heard about what happened with the drugs today. Does he know?"

"Nope, I figure I will call him later. After he settles into Florida." Olivia replied, swinging open her door. "You want to come in?"

Elliot hesitated briefly and then replied, "If you want me to."

"Of course." Olivia said with a grin.

When they were inside they both removed their jackets and went to sit on the couch. Olivia folded her knees to her chest, resting her head on them as Elliot looked at her in amusement. "Where were you tonight? It's probably not a great idea for you to be wandering the streets."

"I had to talk to Darby about the drugs. He worked the original case with SVU." Olivia replied, playing idly with a piece of hair.

"Well, be careful, alright?" Elliot said, a pleading note in his voice. Olivia looked over at him, the dim lights reflecting in her chocolate eyes. Her features were drawn into a subtly surprised expression.

"I will." Olivia replied softly, allowing her feet to come to rest on the floor. Elliot nodded and scooted a little closer.

"How are you doing, really?" he asked.

"Okay. The counseling helps a little. I guess it's lucky I don't remember most of it. Plus, it could have been worse." Olivia answered with a sigh. She glanced down at her belly, showing now just slightly. "I am just glad the baby's okay."

"Ya," Elliot said, "Me too." He looked at her in silence for a moment before settling a hand on her knee. Olivia glanced down as she felt his thumb tracing small circles on her leg. Elliot started to move his hand away, but Olivia placed hers over it. She then pulled it up to her thigh before releasing her grip and settling her hand on his jaw. He gazed back at her with deep blue eyes that clearly sent the message that this would go only as far as she wanted it too.

Olivia smiled at him and lightly kissed his cheek. Then she pulled back, slowly sliding her hand off his chest.

She then stood and questioned, "Do you want something to drink?" Without waiting for a reply she hurried off to the kitchen.

Elliot followed her and said, "Olivia, what is wrong?" When she didn't answer, Elliot very gently took her wrist. Olivia shook her head but didn't pull away. "Did he hurt you?"

"No." Olivia answered firmly, then trailed off as she carefully worded her next response, "I dated him for a while, right before I met Dom."

"Are you serious?" Elliot exclaimed, letting go of her wrist.

"Sadly, yes." Olivia replied with a slight smile.

"Why did you break up?"

"I caught him cheating on me." Olivia answered simply, and then quickly snatched up a beer and water from the refrigerator. She handed him the beer and then started to move off.

"You did great in court today." Elliot said suddenly, stepping a little closer.

Olivia just raised her chin and replied, "That bastard killed my partner. No way in hell was I going to let him get away with it because I had to shaky of testimony."

Elliot reached out and laid a hand on her cheek. "You are quite something, Olivia Benson."

"Is that a compliment?" Olivia asked, a beautiful smile gracing her features once more.

Elliot laughed and grinned, "Ya, it's a compliment."

The next morning Olivia showed up for work early as usual, setting straight to filling out paperwork. Elliot showed up shortly after, going through the morning ritual of dumping the majority of his papers on her desk, as he was heading into the field to speak to some witnesses. Munch walked in and gave Olivia an especially suspicious look. She looked back at him in confusion, causing him to come back over to her desk. "Wow Olivia, is it just me, or do you bear a striking resemblance to a certain fashion designer?"

Olivia laughed and replied, "You're right. That was one of my undercover assignments."

Elliot turned to look at her, and Munch grinned. "I was working another case that had run into one of homicides, and Olivia here happened to be at a convention, marketing her new line." At this Olivia turned bright red and put her face in her hands. "It was a black strapless dress that went to her knees and had a slit up one side that went practically to her hip. The back was a weird criss cross pattern that was cute about as low as possible. But the best part was by far the dresses material."

Olivia quickly lifted her head and said, "It wasn't real leather."

Elliot grinned and said, "Well Munch, lucky you for going to that convention."

"I know. I thanked my captain for weeks after that. Who knew monitoring some undercover op would be so rewarding? You did great though, Olivia. I was so impressed with your performance. You should have seen her Elliot- a completely seamless undercover performance, never stumbled once." Munch told them, and then gave Olivia a pat on the shoulder before heading back to his desk.

"Get back to work." Olivia said to Elliot, throwing a pen at him. He quickly jumped out of the way and sat back down in his chair.

After a while, Elliot left to go get something. When he returned he was gazing at a thick set of papers. "Olivia, you have to look at this." Olivia took the papers as he leaned over her shoulder, laying a hand to her lower back. "This is the bastard's phone records. Look who he called one hour before he attacked you."

"Rikers… oh my God… Hans Liechtenstein."

"Looks like Dom's dad hasn't quite finished with his contributions to society." Elliot muttered, and Olivia just stared at the paper.

The rest of the day, Olivia seemed quite distracted. As she packed up her stuff to go home late that night, Elliot ran over to her locker. "Olivia… are you-"

She turned, placing a hand to his mouth briefly. "Elliot… will you come with me?"

"Of course. Where too?"

Olivia didn't answer for a moment, only reached into her locker and snatched up a key. Then she gently took his hand, pulling him out of the near empty precinct. "The marina."

* * *

"I am not going to do that." Hans Liechtenstein replied, glaring at his visitor.

"Oh come on Hans! You murdered your wife for god's sake! And you can't do this?" the man exclaimed furiously.

"Yes, well I already did you one favor. They will pull the phone records back to me. You are still going to be able to ship your drugs in."

"It doesn't matter Hans."

"You are just pissed that your people screwed up. It's not my fault they killed him. He was no threat. The girl though… she's the one you have to watch out for."

"I know that. She's too close to your son."

"That she is. You had better hope your little plan works. But I am not going to help."

The man dragged his hand through his hair. "Come on. All you have to do is say that Dominic has been smuggling drugs in for years. That's it."

"No. As much as I hate my son, I am not going to risk a needle for being pegged with planning the murder of a cop."

The man sighed. "Well everything is already in place. I doubt we will need you to help. God damn it, this would be so much easier if he had just killed her like he was supposed to!"

Hans grinned. "Have fun getting out of this mess. I am sure my son will be depressed he can't see it up close."

The man turned back to look at him. "What?"

"You didn't know? Dominic is in Florida."

"Oh my God…"

"That's right. You had better hurry the hell up getting those drugs moved. After all, how could he be blamed for them when he isn't even here?"

A/N #2: Yikes, lots of big questions! But next chap should be up soon, I promise! R&R!


	6. The NYPD's Coastguard

A/N: This is a long chapter… so brace yourself! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: It's weird. I mean, I log all of this time into my fanfictions and I still haven't been offered a deal to own them. Even when I said I would settle just for Chris. For some reason, they seemed even more opposed to me owning him than the whole show. So, no, they are still not mine, but I still like playing with them!

Olivia stepped out of the car, pulling her jacket tighter around her to fight against the biting cold air coming off the ocean. Elliot quickly got out after her and jogged across the pavement. "All the boats are in dry storage right now." Olivia yelled over the rising wind.

"What are we looking for?" Elliot called out, taking her elbow.

"Anything out of the ordinary." Olivia replied, her voice nearly overwhelmed by the gusting winds. She reached out, her hand struggling to find the handle to the door of the Coast Guard's dry slip. Jamming the key into it, Olivia listened in relief as the door clicked and slid open. The silence of the building was unnerving. She turned as Elliot finished clicking the door back shut. As soon as he had locked it, Olivia hurried forward to the boat at the far end, shrink-wrapped and winterized. Along the exposed edge of the hull read 'Coast Guard NY0010'. Olivia swallowed slightly and gave the slick fiberglass a pat before heading to the back. Elliot stepped behind her, watching as she climbed the ladder onto the back deck of the boat. Olivia seized the edge of the plastic, jerking on it until it came loose. Tossing back the flap she turned and said, "Alright, here goes. Come on Elliot."

Olivia heaved a sigh of relief as she and Elliot finished their sweep of the boat, finding absolutely nothing. Not that she had expected to, but what Darby said had bothered her. With a slight grin she thought of how displeased Dom would be to discover that she had disturbed his so carefully winterized boat. "Why exactly did you feel so motivated to come here?" Elliot asked, stepping up behind her.

Olivia paused. "I wanted to be sure my judgment was still okay."

Elliot looked at her in confusion. "Why would it be bad?"

"It's just something that Darby said… look, thanks for coming. You didn't have to." Olivia replied, running a hand through her hair. Elliot reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. She felt an unexpected warmth rise in her cheeks and quickly looked away. As she did so, she caught sight of a door swinging slightly ajar. "Elliot, did you go through this?"

"Ya… the door wouldn't shut though." Elliot answered, following her over and eying it. Olivia jiggled the handle slightly, quickly discovering that it had been broken. She bit her lip, now quite sure the sense of disquiet she felt had sound backing.

"That's odd. I know it wasn't broken before. Come on, let's get out of here." Olivia said, standing quickly and heading for the cabin door. Elliot jogged after her and deftly jumped up onto main deck. As they headed out, Olivia gave the boat one last gaze and said, "I'll meet you at the car. I just have to check something." With that she hurried back the other direction. She bent over the prop of the boat and tugged gently. It slipped down a couple inches. Olivia pulled harder and it fell off completely. The pins holding it on had been filed down- it would have stayed on just long enough and then dropped off, leaving the boat stranded. She pushed it back on, making a mental note to tell Dom as quickly as possible. Then she scooted back out to the main door, which was open from Elliot's exit.

"Olivia! Don't come out!" yelled Elliot just as she stepped outside the building. She glanced over just in time. A thick boat paddle swung dangerously close to her stomach and she leapt back into the building. Elliot was lying on his side with a man tightly binding his wrists with dock lines behind his back. His look sent the clear message- _do not try to save me. _

"Okay little missy, lets not fight. I won't hurt you, I promise." The man with the paddle said, stepping closer. Olivia felt her hand slip to her gun, but as she did so, the man holding Elliot tossed the free end of the dock line around his neck. She immediately held her hands up, glancing behind her. The soft glint of light reflecting off the inner window made her freeze for a second. "Good girl. Now come over here."

"You can do whatever you like with me, just promise that you won't hurt my partner."

"Tell you what, after we finish with you, we will let him go."

"You're lying." Olivia said, taking several steps backward. Her back bumped against the wall. She turned and seized an extra prop lying on top of a crate, throwing it through the glass window. Immediately every single light in the marina went on and the alarm system sounded so loudly that the floor vibrated. The man leapt forward in rage, pinning her against the chilly metal wall.

"You stupid bitch!" he exclaimed, tightening a hand around her throat. Olivia quickly slowed her struggling, looking over his shoulder the see the other man stepping up behind him.

"Anthony, settle down. Give her to me." He said, stepping towards them.

Anthony reluctantly let her go and the other man pressed up against her. "I am really sorry about this. If only you wouldn't have come here tonight. But since you are, my employer demands that I finish the job that Weathers failed in."

Olivia gripped the side of her gun, slowly drawing it out. The man didn't appear to be paying any attention as he covered her nose and mouth with one hand and placed his other over her throat. She clicked the safety off and pressed it hard against his abdomen. He glanced down and suddenly released her throat. "Don't move or I will kill you." Olivia hissed, pointing the gun at his forehead and with one hand cuffing him to a water pipe. She then saw that Anthony had run back outside. With a sharp intake of breath she sprinted out after him. He had grabbed up that paddle again. Just before he sent it crushing down on her partner's back, she fired. He fell backwards, clutching his shoulder. As she stepped over they both heard sirens from the marina security getting closer and closer. "He said you weren't going to be a problem!" shrieked Anthony, "We were going to catch you on your way home from work and he said you wouldn't be able to fight back!"

"Surprise." answered Olivia, and then she hurried back over to Elliot.

He was staring at her in utter shock. "You didn't have to do that. You could have gotten hurt."

Olivia lightly touched his shoulder. "I'll always have your back. Now what did you hurt?"

"Nothing." Elliot lied quickly, scrambling to try to sit up. Olivia cut the dock lines off his wrists and he immediately reached down and touched his ankle. "I guess my ankle is a little sore."

"Well come on, I'll help you up." Olivia replied, reaching out a hand as the red and blue lights from the security cars gleamed against her face. Elliot took her hand and slowly managed to stand. Olivia wrapped her arm around his waist and looked over as the security guards raced over to them.

"Are you two okay? The police are on their way."

"I'm okay. My partner's hurt though. I had to shoot the perp over there, and there's one more inside cuffed to the water pipe." Olivia quickly explained.

When they finally arrived back at Olivia's apartment, it was nearly one in the morning. Statements had taken a long time and they had to wait around to see what happened with the guy Olivia shot. It looked like he would be ok, which was good, because they definitely needed to talk to him about just who had hired them. When they had found the guys car it had been filled with stolen prescription drugs. This case was getting stranger and stranger.

"Hold still Elliot! Or do you want to go to the ER?" Olivia asked as she attempted to Ace bandage an ice pack to Elliot's ankle. He reluctantly held it still as she fastened the clasps and then slowly sat up. Olivia smiled gently at him and said, "It was pretty swollen and bruised, no wonder you couldn't walk. I still think maybe you should go to the Doctors."

"No thanks." Elliot replied, "It's not that bad."

Olivia rolled her eyes and said, "You men are all alike, you know that?" She reached out and gently touched his back, where he had initially been struck by Anthony. "I better take a look at that too." Elliot nodded and pulled his shirt over his head. Olivia awkwardly stepped around to straddle his hips, looking over his shoulder to examine the bruising. Her fingers lightly traced over his shoulder blade and she said softly, "I think you'll be okay." Quite suddenly she felt him wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. Olivia pressed her face against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. He gently slid his hands up and down her back, tracing against the exposed skin where her shirt had ridden up.

Slowly she placed a kiss on his jaw and then his neck. Elliot then turned his head slightly and she kissed him firmly on the mouth. He carefully pushed them down so that she was on her back and then moved his lips down to her collarbone. As he stroked his hand against her neck, his fingers suddenly came into contact with a necklace on a fine gold chain. The reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks and he pulled away. Elliot kept the back of his hand flat against her chest as he examined the small pendant.

"We can't do this, Olivia."

"Why not? I want to get better, Elliot. I am not going to be a victim the rest of my life." Olivia replied, looking up at him.

"No, it's not that. Olivia… you've got a baby on the way and with work we just can't. And…"

"And what?" Olivia asked.

Elliot lightly pressed the pendant to her chest, and Olivia looked up at him. "The Coast Guard symbol. You don't love me."

"I don't love him. Elliot, you have to believe me, he is just my friend." Olivia said, shutting her eyes to prevent tears from slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Olivia. It just isn't going to work." Elliot said quietly, tracing a hand down her cheek.

"Okay." Olivia replied, slowly sitting up. "I guess you're right. It could get weird at work. We'd never be free of Munch's teasing."

Elliot laughed and said, "That's for sure. Thanks for looking at my ankle, though."

Olivia smiled back. "No problem."

Elliot nodded slowly. "Well I better head out."

"No… you can sleep on the couch. Get some rest."

"Ok. Thanks." Elliot answered, watching as she got up to go get some blankets. Mentally he attempted to reassure himself that she had done the right thing. But for some reason, it was proving difficult.

* * *

4 Months Later…

"Hey baby! How are you?" exclaimed Dom, wrapping his arms around Olivia. She smiled as she hugged him back tightly. He placed a kiss on her cheek as she started to pull away and took her hands.

"I'm fine." Olivia replied with a smile. "And so is the baby."

"Next week, huh? I am so excited." Dom said, grinning widely. "He is going to be adorable."

Olivia raised an eyebrow as she noticed his hair. The choppy blonde layers were now replaced with auburn ones highlighted with caramel. "What did you do to your hair?"

Dom smirked. "Oh, Natalie came out last month on her vacation and wanted to try this on her hair. But she decided that I made a better guinea pig. You like it?"

"I do. Looks very cute. It was very nice of you to let her experiment on you." Olivia answered, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"It was no big deal. Plus the blonde reminded me too much of my dad anyway." Dom said, jerking on the handle of his suitcase to drag it along behind him. "You want to come over to my place for a while?"

"Sure." Olivia replied.

"Guess what I am going to be doing this spring…"

Olivia's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "You got the job!"

"Naturally. I am teaching a group of eight cops how to boat. Four are going to just be basic training for their brief undercover stints, while the others are going to be the lead team and the back up team." Dom said, smiling from ear to ear, "I can't wait to rub it in Darby's face. After he went through all that effort to make sure I didn't get it."

Later that evening, Olivia leaned back against the wall, idly watching as Dom expertly sent the eight ball rolling across the table and into a pocket. He grinned at her and said, "I win again. Come on Olivia, you still have like four balls on the table. Didn't I teach you better?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as he went about picking out all the balls from the pockets, setting them carefully into the triangle. "You try playing pool when you are pregnant."

Dom winced and said, "Okay, well you can break this time."

She slowly walked over, leaning down and carefully making her shot. Olivia exclaimed happily when the dark green ball plopped instantly into the side pocket. Dom watched as she made a second shot, missing narrowly. "Okay, you need to relax your hand more. You are gripping way too tightly." Dom said, stepping over and taking his shot. "See?" Olivia nodded, though she didn't seem to be paying attention. "Olivia?"

"Do you think I sleep around?" Olivia asked, focusing on chalking up the end of her cue.

Dom looked at her in surprise. "No. As far as I know, you've only slept with that guy at the party."

"Yes, but it's a lot different considering who he was."

"Olivia, it wasn't your fault. You didn't really want to."

"But I never told him no, either."

Dom slowly walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It would have been hard too, considering who he was." He said, quoting her earlier words. "You guys were gone a maximum of a half hour. It was nothing more than a quickie, in his opinion."

"But it's not just that. When I was living with Elliot, I really liked him. A lot. We never slept together, I just couldn't after what happened, at least for a while. But when he found out that I was pregnant, it was like all the times I had kissed him made me seem like a slut. He never said anything, but how would you feel if you had been making out with some girl and then find out that she's carrying another man's baby? Wouldn't it change how you felt about them?"

"I suppose it would depend on how I felt about them before. If I loved them, it probably wouldn't matter as much."

"As much?"

"Well, I am not going to lie Olivia. It is an extremely awkward position to be in. But, like I said, if I thought that they slept around constantly then I probably would be upset. However, if they were someone like you, who made one mistake, I wouldn't be." Dom said, his blue eyes fierce. Olivia suddenly noted the ring on his left hand.

"Oh my God, you're getting married!" she shrieked, "This is amazing! Congratulations!"

Dom grinned, "Thanks. Surprising I know. I know when you first met me I was big time bachelor."

"That's the truth." Olivia answered with a slight smile.

"And I bet you thought I was a major playboy as well."

Olivia looked at him in surprise, "Well you certainly didn't hold onto relationships very long." She replied evasively.

"Oh admit it. You couldn't stand me."

"I could stand you, just not for long periods of time." Olivia answered, and Dom laughed.

"See, you could have hated me for the relationships I had, but you didn't. It's the same thing with you. People who care about you aren't going to be so quick to judge." Dom said logically.

"I guess so."

"Come on, Liv. My father's a murderer. I don't blame people for the assumptions they make. But your situation isn't your fault."

"Neither is yours. You didn't kill your mother Dominic." Olivia said, taking his arm.

"And you didn't ask for your mother to be raped anymore than you asked for the asshole to have sex with you. How do you expect me to believe what you tell me about blood not mattering when you don't believe it yourself?" Olivia pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and didn't answer. "Not that it's bad advice. But I still can't forget the night that we met."

Olivia looked up at him. "That wasn't your fault. You didn't hurt me."

"But I could have. I wasn't thinking straight. I had you pinned by your wrists on the pavement."

"Yes, and then you let me go."

"But I shouldn't have held you in the first place. You were so sweet about it too- just talked to me until I released you and then put the cuffs on so gently while the EMT's gave me that sedative."

"Dom, don't worry about it. You didn't hurt me, alright?"

"Okay then, let's compromise. If I didn't hurt you, then you stop blaming yourself for what happened."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "That's it? Wow, I thought you were going to ask me to do something hard." She said sarcastically.

"It isn't hard because it wasn't your fault. Promise me."

"I promise." Olivia replied softly.

The next morning at work, Elliot noticed that Olivia was absent. "Hey, does anybody know where Olivia is?" he asked loudly, and Cragen who happened to be walking by answered him.

"I don't know. She hasn't called in sick."

"Okay." Elliot replied, biting his lip. He picked up his cell and gave her a call, hoping that she'd pick up. When she didn't, he felt a strange jolt in his stomach. The next couple hours passed with ungodly speed. At just about noon, he received an unexpected visitor. "Natalie… are you okay?" he asked.

It was evident that she had just been pulled out of work, judging by her long sleeved shirt and pants that were standard FDNY issue. "I'm okay. Look, I promised Dominic that if anything happened to him, I'd give you this." She said simply, handing him a letter of some sort.

"What happened?" Elliot exclaimed, glancing at the letter.

"Just read it." Natalie told him, and Elliot reluctantly opened it.

_"Dominic, I think you have had a bit too much to drink!" exclaimed Olivia with a laugh as I pulled her closer.  
_

_"Nope. I am doing just fine. Thanks for inviting me." I muttered into her ear, and Olivia shuddered as the cold beer in my hand pressed against her back. "You're the best, Liv." _

_"Your welcome." Olivia replied, playfully giving me a kiss on the cheek. I grinned and kissed her neck. She was quite surprised but didn't make any effort to stop it until I migrated to her collarbone. "Dom…" she said gently, pressing her hand against my chest._

_"Sorry." I replied, and then planted a very firm kiss on her lips. In hindsight, perhaps alcohol does have a stronger effect on me than I like to admit. After all, Olivia and I didn't usually kiss except when we are goofing around. After a moment I pulled away. Olivia glared teasingly at me and gave me a shove. _

_"Mr. Liechtenstein, keep your wits about you." She said, "I am going to get a drink, I'll get you a water or something non alcoholic."_

_"Okay." I answered, giving her a gentle hug. She seemed rather surprised by my sudden display of affection. With a slight smile she walked off towards the bar. I shook my head a little to clear it, attempting to determine what had gotten into me. I love Olivia- as a friend. A best friend. _

_I watched her go and then felt someone grab my shoulder. "Dom! You up for a challenge?"_

_I turned to see one of my friends standing with a young woman in tow. "Sure. What's up?" I asked, looking at the beautiful girl at his side._

_"This is Natalie. She's a little shy so I thought I'd just bring her over to you." He said, slapping me on the shoulder. Natalie flushed and looked quite ready to run off. I gave her an encouraging smile before saying, "I see you've met Garrett. He's… interesting." _

_"Yes, he tells me you've had six girlfriends in the past two months. That's interesting too. Also, I just wanted you to know, I had no interest in meeting you, he forced me to come over." Natalie said, raising her chin so that her blonde wavy hair fell away from her face. _

_Ouch. That hurts. Unfortunately it's true._

_I was so surprised I didn't even know what to say for a moment. I gave an awkward laugh and glanced over to find Olivia. "Looking for your girlfriend?" Natalie questioned, never losing the look of disgust on her face._

_I sighed and shook my head, "Nope, she's just my best friend." That's the truth. I turned back after finding Olivia just getting our drinks, and sure enough she had gathered me up a Pepsi. Natalie just stood there, looking absolutely disinterested in me. I then noticed a small dangling emblem on her bracelet and asked, "You into horses? That's the symbol for the Oldenburg breed, isn't it?"_

_Natalie looked very impressed and said, "Yes, it is. How'd you know that?"_

_I smirked, finally regaining some of my damaged pride. "Oh, my mom was way into horses. She had a Holsteiner mare." _

_When I looked back over, some guy had Olivia by the elbow. My eyes widened as I figured out who it was and was about to head over when Natalie asked, "Had?"_

_"Ya, she got killed a few years ago. But I couldn't bring myself to sell her horse, so I pay the board and go out and ride about once a week. My riding skills are limited though, so we mostly just walk around while everyone else around us is jumping five foot fences. Maybe you could come ride her sometime, she's a great horse." I said, and Natalie actually smiled._

_"I'd like that."_

_"Me too. Could you hold on?" I said distractedly, and with that I pushed through the throng of people towards the bar. But by the time I got there, she was gone. I gritted my teeth and flopped down on a stool. I couldn't decide what to do. Normally I don't suffer from a great deal of indecision, but you have to understand, this was a complicated situation. And so, I made perhaps the biggest mistake of my life. I placated myself by deciding they were off talking about work and sucked down my Pepsi. _

_After about a half hour I felt a hand lightly touch my shoulder. "Olivia!" I exclaimed, jumping up and taking her in my arms. Olivia gripped my shirt tightly, her face pressed against my chest as her sides heaved in rapid breaths. "Are you okay?" I asked, wanting to kill myself right then and there for sitting around and doing nothing. I leaned down and kissed the top of her head comfortingly. _

_"Ya, I'm fine. I want to go home though." Olivia replied, looking up at me, her eyes dull and stunned._

_"Smile for the camera. This really is adorable." _

_I turned and glared, but was careful to keep supporting Olivia. "Darby. You bastard."_

_"You see Dominic, you may think that you are better than I am, but you're wrong. There's one person you haven't slept with, and I have."_

_"So this is about me?" I asked, fury and guilt making a toxic combination in my gut._

_"Pretty much, ya." Darby replied with a smile._

_I had always had a good deal of common sense- after all, you need it to be a good boater. However, it abandoned me in that moment. I don't think I have ever been that angry in my life. In retrospection, maybe it wasn't such a brilliant idea to start a fight with a cop who had twenty plus years of experience, but I don't regret it._

_I lunged forward, Olivia nearly falling over from the sudden movement, and landed a very good punch to Darby's smirking face. Darby was caught completely off guard and collapsed flat on his back. I was about ready to step away when Darby grabbed my knee and yanked me down, landing a solid blow to my abdomen. It was several minutes before people were able to pry us apart, and as they did so Darby shrieked, "I am filing assault charges!"_

_"You go right ahead and do that! I am sure all your coworkers will be very impressed that you were assaulted by a guy who drives boats around for a living. Aren't you supposed to be a cop?" I bellowed back, starting to fight against my holder until I realized it was Olivia. Immediately I settled down, though adrenaline was still racing through my system. _

_Darby glared at me and yelled back, "I am a cop!"_

_"Oh well thanks for clarifying that. It's just that I wasn't sure because the 'New York's Finest' title sure as Hell doesn't apply to you!" I screamed as loud as I could, and many people started looking my direction. With that Darby turned and raced out of the building, limping slightly from where I had kicked his shin. Olivia slowly released me, keeping her hand on the small of my back. Natalie had stepped over from the corner and caught my eye. I wasn't in the mood for explanations and so put my arm around Olivia's shoulders. "Come on Olivia, we are going to talk about this at my place."_

_Olivia didn't say a word until the cab dropped us off at my apartment. After I opened the door she headed straight for the couch and mumbled, "You didn't have to do that for me."_

_"Oh yes I did. The asshole deserved it. What the hell happened?" I exclaimed, plopping down besideher._

_"I was getting us drinks… and then I saw Darby. He grabbed my wrist and said he needed to talk about something going on at work. So I followed him into a back bedroom… then he kissed me. I couldn't respond fast enough and before I knew it he had my dress off. What was I supposed to do?" Olivia asked me hopelessly, shutting her eyes to hold back tears._

_"Did you tell him no?" I inquired, eying her intently._

_"No. I didn't." Olivia muttered._

_"Well, he had no right to do that to you no matter what you did or didn't say. He knew you were drinking."_

_"I wasn't drunk!" exclaimed Olivia, attempting to wrench free of my grasp. _

_I took her shoulders tighter and said, "I know that, Liv. It's not your fault." Then I was struck by a sudden realization. "Did he use a condom?"_

_Olivia's eyes widened and she bit her lip while shaking her head. I put an arm around her waist and she leaned up against me, after a moment asking, "What should I do?"_

_And for once, I felt I could offer no sound advice and simply said, "It's your decision, Olivia. I don't think you can go wrong."_

_And so there it is. Just in case anything happens to me, which it likely did since you are reading this, the father's name is Lieutenant James Tyler Darby of the New York City Police Department._

Elliot just about dropped the letter and stared at Natalie. She paused a moment and then said, "There's something I should tell you about Olivia…"

"Where is she?" Elliot asked, "Is she okay?"


	7. Recovering

A/N: Once again, thanks for all the reviews! I just want to say that this story has been quite the challenge to write, trying to juggle everyone's personalities and how they react to the events of the plot, but it's been very enjoyable. I truly appreciate all the reviews!

KrissXed: Wow, I don't think I have ever gotten such a bad and good review all rolled into one! I greatly appreciate the advice & compliments. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Just playing with them, but they aren't mine. I guess the check I wrote to buy them bounced.

Oh yes, and the episode I reference towards the end isn't mine either. It's called 'waste' I believe, and couldn't resist the crack Olivia made at that guy.

* * *

"She's okay. She's at Mercy General. Evidently someone from the NYPD called her this morning told her what happened to Dominic, and it sent her into early labor." Natalie said, looking up at him.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Elliot questioned, and Natalie bit her lip.

"Well, I am not exactly sure, he hasn't woken up yet. But from what I gather, he was at the marina helping some guy get his boat tied off when some drunken man runs his boat into the back off them. Dom walks over, seizes the edge of the boat and ties it off so the guy can't get away, and then hops onboard. The guy wasn't very happy about that, and they end up getting in a fight and go right over the back of the boat. Dom, being the lucky person that he is, lands a knee right on the prop. Luckily the engine wasn't running, but the blade sliced his MCL and the force caused the PCL to tear. Then the guy attempted to drown him. Fortunately, the man Dom was helping out was in the army, so he ran over and dragged the guy off."

Elliot rubbed his hand through his short hair and asked, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, they said he probably would. He's got bad pneumonia, but other than that his knee surgery has to wait a couple weeks for the swelling to reside. He's at Mercy too."

"Good." Elliot replied, looking over for Cragen. "Hold just one second." With that he ran into Cragen's office. "Captain? Olivia's having her baby today, do you mind if I take a personal day?"

"Oh, sure. Go ahead. Did you hear about that Coast Guard?" Cragen asked suddenly.

"Ya, I did. Not good."

"He was supposed to help us out with the undercover op. I hope he will still be up to it. It would be so depressing to hire the guy Darby suggested."

"No kidding." Elliot replied, and then turned to run out. "Come on." He said to Natalie as he grabbed his keys.

When they arrived, the ICU was the closest and so they decided to see if Dom had woken up yet. As they approached his room, it was quite clear that he had.

"No, I really don't need to stay. I have to clear about fifty boats for registration."

"Sit back down Mr. Liechtenstein. You aren't going anywhere for at least two days."

"Two days! No way, you don't understand… oh no I can't wear that thing on my knee… I can't move it!"

"Settle down, you have a 30 degree range of motion." The nurse replied in frustration, and Elliot and Natalie glanced at one another before knocking lightly on his door. "Come in."

Dom looked up at them, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Natalie. He certainly looked like he had had the crap beaten out of him, but it obviously wasn't affecting his demeanor. "Tell her that I don't need to wear a brace on my knee. I look like a freak in it."

Natalie folded her arms and glared at him. "You will wear it, Liechtenstein."

"Fine… so Elliot, I take it you read my letter?" Dom asked, deftly changing the subject just before he broke into a fit of coughs.

After they had subsided, Elliot replied, "Yes. I just wanted to say thanks."

"Olivia will probably kill me for telling you. But I just was thinking, if something did happen to me I should probably write what happened down. I just didn't want you to think she slept around. She doesn't. It was Darby's fault." Elliot opened his mouth to reply, and Dom seemed to take that as a cue that he wasn't being convincing. "No Elliot it seriously was. I mean she wasn't really drunk, but she had had some, plus I mean he was her boss, she didn't know what to do." He rambled on, making a valiant effort to come to his feet.

Elliot held out a hand to stop him. "I know. She's a great girl."

Dom gave a slight grin. "That she is. Take good care of her, or I will have to come after you."

Elliot laughed and replied, "Well I have to go do that now."

"What?"

Natalie laid a hand on his shoulder and told him gently, "Olivia's having the baby today."

Dom's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "I have to go see her! I really am not hurting that much…"

The nurse just scowled at him and then looked over at Elliot. "This is what he is like now that we gave him a sedative. You should have seen him before. Now, Mr. Liechtenstein, if you are good and get some rest, as soon as the baby is born, I will let you go up and visit it."

Dom instantly flopped onto his back, pulling the covers up around himself. "Promise?"

The nurse laughed and said, "Ya, I promise."

Elliot leaned back in his chair and chewed gently on the straw he had stuck in his mouth, eying the coffee in his hand with bored interest. It had been almost three hours and still the nurses refused to give him any information, much less let him in. Finally the door to the waiting room opened and Olivia's nurse came in. "Mr. Stabler, Ms. Benson is letting you come see her."

"So she had the baby?" Elliot questioned, leaping up and shoving his coffee onto the table.

The nurse smiled and nodded. "She did great. It's a little boy."

Elliot knocked lightly on her door, and upon hearing her okay, stepped inside. She smiled broadly at him, looking not to worse for wear and radiating the same amount of spirit that she always did. "Hey. Nice of you to stop by."

"I wouldn't miss this." Elliot replied, walking over and looking at the little baby resting in her arms. He was wide awake, blinking around at his surroundings with bright blue eyes. Elliot smiled at him and lightly touched his cheek. The baby responded by wriggling slightly in his tight swath of blankets.

"Do you want to hold him?" asked Olivia, looking up at Elliot. Elliot froze for a moment, surprised by the request. Olivia sensed it immediately and continued, "It's alright, I don't mind. Come on, he likes you."

Elliot slowly scooped him up carefully, holding him close to his chest. "I haven't held one this little in a while." He told her with a smile.

"He's little, that's for sure. A week early too."

"Who called you and told you what happened to Dom?" Elliot asked, sitting on the edge of her bed as he rocked the baby lightly.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Who else? Darby found out and in his usual generosity thought that I might want to know."

"I'm sorry for what he did to you." Elliot said, looking over at her.

Olivia stared back and asked, "Who told you?"

"Dominic wrote it all down, and after the accident this morning Natalie gave it to me. You should have told me."

"I wanted too. But I felt like that would make me seem like… I mean, he's almost twenty years older than I am and was my boss. How does that look?"

Elliot sighed and said, "To me, it looks like you got into a situation you didn't know how to handle and he exploited that. It's not your fault. You don't deserve to be used like that."

Olivia gazed back at him in surprise and slowly scooted towards him. Elliot felt her hesitantly drape her arms around his shoulders and lean her head up against him. "Well…" she said slowly, smiling down at her son, "It wasn't all bad."

A few minutes later there was another knock at the door. Olivia grinned broadly at Dominic as he came marching in with just a slight limp. "Olivia! Oh my God, he is so cute!" Dom exclaimed, gazing down at the blue eyed baby. "And he doesn't look a thing like him!"

Elliot carefully handed him over and Dom picked him up, sitting down carefully in a chair next to the bed. "What's his name?" he asked as Natalie leaned over his shoulder, smiling as broadly as Olivia had ever seen her.

"Well, I bounced back and forth for a while, until I saw him. Then I knew for sure that he was a Daeman." Olivia said, and Dominic looked up in shock.

"You didn't have to do that, Olivia." He mumbled, looking down at the baby.

"Come on Dom, he's got blonde hair and blue eyes. He looks a lot like your twin."

"I didn't know you had a twin brother." Elliot said in surprise.

"Ya, Daeman and Dominic, identical twins." Dom said, and then got up to walk the baby over towards the window, where the last of the day's sunlight filtered through.

Olivia smiled over at them, suddenly realizing that she was still leaning up against Elliot. But he didn't seem to mind and merely laid one hand on her arm, lightly tracing his thumb across the smooth skin.

"You feeling okay, Dom?" Olivia asked gently, watching as handed the baby over to Natalie.

Dom nodded. "Ya, no big deal. I was just surprised- I didn't think that he could hit me hard enough to knock me overboard. But I landed right on the motor. I heard two pops of the ligaments rupturing, and then the guy was shoving me underwater. Then I of course sliced my leg up good on the prop. Don't worry about me. It was just a stupid mistake."

"You had me very concerned. I know you deal with drunk people a lot, but still… be a little more careful, okay?" Olivia said, giving him a small smile.

Dom didn't smile back and merely muttered, "He wasn't drunk."

At this, Olivia immediately let go of Elliot. "I heard that he was. You mean he knew exactly what he was doing? No alcohol whatsoever?"

"That's right." Dom replied, looking quite anxious to change the subject. "We can talk about it later okay?"

"Dom…"

"Liv…"

"Fine. But you will talk about it later, alright?"

"Deal. Look, I have to get back downstairs, my nurse is going to shoot me if I am not back to take my meds. But I will see you and Daeman soon." He said, standing and placing a kiss on her forehead. Olivia squeezed his hand gently before Natalie very carefully handed her the baby back.

"Thanks for letting me hold him." Natalie said, smiling at her. "Get some rest."

"No problem. You can anytime." Olivia replied, shifting Daeman slightly.

"Thanks." Natalie answered, a wide grin lighting up her features before she trotted out after Dom.

Olivia was out of the hospital the next morning, something that pleased her greatly. As soon as she got home Olivia sat down on the couch and held Daeman gently. He looked back up at her with blue eyes conveying a slight amount of interest but mostly exhaustion. She bit her lip and ran one hand across his forehead. "You're going to be okay, right?" she whispered to him, and he blinked a couple times before shutting his eyes. He was a very quiet baby, hardly ever cried, and when he did, it was very hushed. It hadn't taken the doctors long to figure out he had a heart defect.

Surgery was the only option, but it was safest to be performed when he was at least three months old. In the mean time, it just meant he had a higher likelihood of having a crib death. To Olivia, that seemed to be thoroughly awful, but the Doctors insisted that he would probably be just fine. With a bitter smile Olivia thought of how happy Darby was going to be when he found out how much more child support he was going to have to pay for all the extra medical bills.

That evening, Olivia heard a knocking on her door. Carefully setting Daeman down in his crib she got up and hurried across the room. "Elliot!" she exclaimed, opening the door to let him in. He was soaking wet- it had been raining all day. She quickly took his coat and hung it up. "What brings you down here?"

"I just wanted to say hi. How's baby?" Elliot asked, looking at her with brilliant blue eyes.

"He's good… a little sleepy." Olivia said with a slight smile. "How was work?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Munch let me be bad cop in interrogation, so that was fun."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you always?"

Elliot flashed his biggest grin and said, "What would make you think that?"

"Maybe that time I watched you interrogate that pedophile a few months back… that was priceless."

"I don't know… you had an extremely impressive one just before you were confined completely to desk duty."

Olivia flushed. "Oh… the one about the guy who worked in the funeral home and had sex with the stiffs, and we showed him the tape of it?"

"Ya, 'it only lasts a second but…'"

"'…I don't have to tell you that.'" Olivia finished with a grin, shaking her head slightly.

"Very harsh." laughed Elliot, "I don't think I have ever had to work so hard to keep from laughing during an interrogation." Olivia just shook her head again and flopped on her back on the couch. She shut her eyes and yawned slightly, opening them when she felt the couch shift.

"Sorry Elliot, I am still a little tired. Daeman's going to have me up in about two hours to feed him so I just need to lay down for a bit. You are welcome to stay of course." She said, looking over at him.

He nodded slowly and scooted so that he lay over top of her, supporting himself on his elbows. Olivia felt her breath speed up and she nervously looked away. He pressed a kiss on her neck, his breath making the moist area tingle. Then he shifted up to just below her ear and across her jaw. After a moment he placed his lips over hers and pushed slightly against her. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning slightly as he deepened the kiss. She wasn't she how long they kissed like that, but after a good length of time she felt him shift his weight and slide one hand to her stomach. Olivia leaned her head back as he kissed down her neck, moving his hand up higher. She flinched only slightly from surprise and then let him continue to rub gently. It was after all, through her shirt, so she didn't feel as nervous as she would have been. Suddenly he moved again, pushing both of his hands against her chest, harder this time. "Tell me if you want me to stop." He whispered gently, breathing heavily against her ear.

Olivia barely nodded and kept one hand cradling his neck as he kissed her. And then his hands were off her chest. One went to her hip, pulling her slightly off the couch. The other came to rest high on her inner thigh. He stroked the fabric of her pants up and down until he felt her completely relax and begin to kiss his jaw. Elliot then moved his hands to her back, slowly pulling them both into a sitting position. He gave her one last passionate kiss before pulling away. "You okay?" he asked, stroking her cheek.

"I'm fine." Olivia replied, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She couldn't believe that she was still completely clothed and was this turned on. "Do you want to sleep on my couch tonight?"

"No, I better head out. No temptation that way." Elliot told her with a smile as he kissed her cheek affectionately.

"You sure?"

"Positive. But I want to see Daeman before I go."

"Of course. Look Elliot, I wanted to say thanks- for what you said in the hospital. It meant a lot to me."

Elliot looked up at her, running a hand through her hair. "It's true. You didn't deserve what he did to you."

"I know. But I just didn't know what else to do."

"I am so sorry." Elliot muttered, kissing the side of her head. Olivia wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. After a moment she looked up.

"I am sure glad they sent you that night, Stabler." She said with a smile, kissing him lightly before walking over to pick up Daeman. He was still asleep and only yawned when she picked him up and carried him back to Elliot. Elliot smiled broadly as he took him in his arms.

"Me too." He answered, looking from the baby to his beautiful mother. Olivia smiled back, her eyes dancing in the light.

* * *

...Two Weeks Later...

"Give me a break Elliot. Why would he turn himself in unless he was covering for someone?"

"It's because he feels really guilty, I can tell."

"Oh please. He's playing us." exclaimed Olivia, throwing down her pen.

"Whatever. I think he's our perp." Elliot answered.

"Ya… that sure would make it easier, now wouldn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you don't want to keep working this, that's fine." Olivia snapped, and Elliot whipped around.

Munch watched the whole exchange with interest and quite reluctantly got up to give them the message. "Sorry to interrupt the marital spat, but Cragen wants you both in his office."

Elliot glared at him and Olivia rolled her eyes. "Come on Elliot." The walk across the squadroom was all they both needed to get over it, and were in much better moods as soon as they walked in.

Cragen looked up at them and said, "Well, you two have a new assignment. I figured that since Olivia already has a lot of experience with boats, you two were the best pair I could send. If you feel up to it, that is."

Olivia grinned. "I went undercover three times in Homicide. Of course I am up to it. Elliot though…"

"I'm in." Elliot interrupted.

"Good. Here's your profiles. You two have the first training session, and its all day today. Dominic, they are all yours."

They both turned around into the back corner of the room, where Dom sat in a chair, looking at them in amusement. He then stood and made his way over, the slight limp the only evidence of what had happened two weeks prior. "Ready?"

Please REVIEW!


	8. Relatives

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock! Also, thanks to my uncle for teaching me everything I know about boating and for assisting me in various technical questions I had.

Disclaimer: Okay, I will try to take this slowly, because I know it may come as a shock… but… I… don't… own… them… Everybody still alive? I know, it's truly stunning that I don't own the franchise I write fanfics for.

* * *

"Dominic, are you sure you are feeling up to this?" Olivia asked, eying him with concern as they stepped down the docks.

He looked over and grinned. "I have never felt better. Plus I am not going to be the one driving, right?" Olivia laughed and nodded, looking up to see another Coast Guard employee trotting over. "Hey Gianna, what's up?" Dom asked, pausing a moment.

Gianna glared at him. "We have so many papers to finish. I have been stuck with them and I'm getting sick of it. You better be doing some overtime soon."

"I will. Keep in mind Gianna, I am your boss, so let's try to keep this civil." Dom said, not missing a beat.

"I know you are my boss, Dominic. And by the way, your boat's ready."

"Thanks for getting that for me, doll. See you around. You aren't out on the water today, are you?" Gianna shook her head. "Good. Get some of the paperwork done. I will sign them when I get back." Gianna furiously stared at him and then stormed off.

Olivia gave Dom a playful shove, careful not to knock him off balance, and whispered, "I told you not to sleep with her."

"I know, I know. But that was like two months after my mother died and I was a little unstable. Plus I felt bad for her because her dog got hit by a car." Dominic replied, "I guess I didn't realize she was a total bitch. She was really disappointed she didn't get promoted afterwards and went and screwed my second in command at the time."

They reached the end of the docks where Dom's boat was tied off in no time. Dom carefully crawled in, settling down into a seat along the back of the boat. Elliot paused hesitantly and watched Olivia leap happily in. He sighed and followed, hurrying to find a seat as quickly as possible. "Okay Olivia, it's all yours. I just have to make sure you still know what you are doing." Dom said, leaning over and undoing the dock line. Olivia grinned and turned the key. The engine sputtered briefly before settling into an easy buzzing sound. She then pushed in the throttle slightly and spun the wheel, Dom and Elliot gently shoving the boat clear of the dock.

Elliot watched Olivia with an absolutely astonished gaze. She was perfectly guiding the large boat through the drills Dom had her do as well as answering correctly all his questions about various boating rules. After a while Dom seemed to find her completely satisfactory and began to fill out his paperwork. As he did so, he said, "So last night Natalie's dad calls me to make sure I was feeling okay. After I told him I was fine and was getting the surgery at the end of this week, he was so relieved. He said that I was doing him a _favor _by marrying his daughter, because no one else would. Hell, she's doing me a favor by marrying me. I mean, it's not her fault she can't have kids."

Olivia shook her head and looked over at Elliot, who was looking rather confused. "Natalie had a hysterectomy when she was fifteen for an infection she developed. That was the only way to effectively deal with it."

"Ya, and that's not her fault. First date she informs me of that. I think she thought that it would be a turn off or something." Dom said, grinning slightly, "It wasn't. Okay, Liv my dear, you are good to go. Ready Elliot?"

He hurried forward and stood by the wheel. "Alright, now just push the throttle forward with your trim all the way down. As soon as the boat planes out, pull the trim up to half." Dom said, and Elliot nodded slowly.

"Hey Dom, you can sit back down, I will help him out." Olivia offered, stepping over behind Elliot. She gently placed her hand over his, pushing the throttle forward. Elliot tensed slightly and immediately pulled it back. The boat lurched and Olivia had to grab the back of the chair to stay standing. Then she more firmly pushed the throttle and kept a tight hold on it. The bow of the boat rose as they jetted forward across the water and then slowly began to level. "Okay, see how the nose just went way down? Now you can pull the trim up to half. That way you go faster and use less gas." Elliot nodded and pushed the up button on the throttle, eying the gauge in front of him. Sure enough, as soon as the needle hit half, the boat lunged forward with renewed strength. Olivia kept her head peering over his shoulder, with one hand resting over his on the throttle, while the other she let rest gently on his stomach.

An hour later Elliot was jetting the boat across the water with ease, grinning all the while. Olivia sat in the co-captain's chair next to him but was turned around chatting with Dom, who was chewing on a toothpick. "Did I show you pictures of my new horse?" he suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up happily.

"You bought another horse?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"Yep. Here, I will show you." He said, reaching over into the side compartment. Olivia trotted over before he could get up and began glancing through them.

"Oh my God, she's so cute. When did you buy her?"

"Just before I got back from Florida. But the best part is…" he trailed off and grabbed another picture.

Olivia took it and exclaimed, "A baby?"

Dom grinned, "The mare was for sale because it was an accidental pregnancy the owner didn't want to deal with. She had the baby three days ago. I am going to give him to Natalie for a wedding gift. Don't tell her, she doesn't know about them yet."

"Of course not. I am so happy you are getting married." Olivia said, sitting down beside him. Dom wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"You know Elliot, Olivia's the reason I am getting married at all."

Elliot turned around and asked, "Why's that?"

"After my mom died I started smoking- and let me tell you, like a god damn chimney. Natalie, being a firefighter, told me that she would die before marrying a smoker. Olivia got me to quit before I destroyed my lungs completely."

"The reason why you are getting married is because you deserve it and she loves you. Not because of me." Olivia said, patting his shoulder gently, "Be right back." Dom watched as she hurried down into the cabin of the boat and shut the door lightly. Then he stood and walked over to Elliot.

"Actually, she's not just the reason I am getting married. She's the reason I am not completely screwed up. Though, some would argue that I am a little bit off my rocker, but hey, could be worse, right?"

"You seem to be just fine." Elliot said, smiling back at the Coast Guard's usual grin.

Then Dom paused briefly. "Have you ever felt that you had lost everything and that nothing- and no one- could save you? And then, quite suddenly, someone comes along and drags you to your feet no matter how much you fight it?" Elliot looked over at him in surprise, but couldn't think of anything to say. Dom smiled again. "Anyway, I owe that to her too."

"What are you two discussing?" Olivia asked as she slid the door back, looking at them in interest.

"You of course." Dom said, happily bouncing over and helping her out of the cuddy.

Olivia rolled her eyes and said, "Sure."

"Well Elliot, guess what? You pass your boating exam." Dom said, and gestured for Elliot to stop the boat. They slowly glided to a stop and Dom continued, "Might as well hang out here for a while. My next pair doesn't get here for another hour."

Elliot watched as Dom and Olivia clambered onto the sundeck, crashing immediately onto their backs. He slowly followed them up. "Come on El." Olivia said with a smile, holding out her hand. He took it and laid down beside her, releasing her hand to slide it further up her arm. Dom glanced over at them, and Elliot saw the same blue eyes that Olivia's son had. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but eerily similar.

"What's up Elliot? Have I got something on my face?" Dom asked good naturedly, smiling at him.

"Nothing…" Elliot said, looking away.

"Hey Olivia, should we let Elliot in on my dirty little family secret?"

Olivia glanced over at him. "Why not?"

"Okay." Dom said, sitting up and looking quite excited. "You may be wondering why Daeman and I look similar, and I know that people very well could mistake me for his father. That's because Darby is my second cousin." Elliot stared at him and Dom winced. "I know, it really makes me want to kill myself. My family tree is just filled with wonderful people."

"Dominic Tristan!" Olivia exclaimed, slapping him in the side. "Don't say that."

"No, really. I met Darby when we were little. He, Daeman, and I were best friends. Then after Daeman died we couldn't stand each other. That was probably largely due to the fact that I became an absolute asshole, but Darby really hated me."

"What happened?" Elliot asked quietly.

Dominic shrugged, obviously trying to not seem so affected. "I got really sick with bronchitis and so stayed home from school. Daeman got hit by a drunk driver walking home. He was seven."

"I am so sorry." Elliot told him, his blue eyes sincere.

"That's okay. I came to terms with it." Dom said, "It helps that the guy is still in jail."

Olivia sat up and gave Dom a gentle pat on the stomach before climbing over to the very edge of the deck, dipping her hand in the cool water. Dom tiptoed up behind her and gave her a shove. She let out a shriek but fell forward and off the edge of the boat. Seconds later she reemerged, sputtering indignantly. "Dominic, I am wearing a white shirt! Why did you push me in?"

Dominic grinned and held out his hand. "I didn't push you. You fell. And as for the white shirt, I would have thought you knew better." Olivia shook her head while grabbing his hand, giving it a sharp yank. Dom looked very surprised as he tumbled headfirst into the water, and came up moments later, grabbing the back of the boat. "That was unfair. You realize I can only tread with one leg. I could have drowned." He scolded unconvincingly, as he was smiling broadly.

"I wouldn't have let you." Olivia replied, swimming over and taking the edge of the boat. She gently wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed one hand on her back.

"I know." Dom replied, "After all, what would you do if you didn't have me to go to Jimmy Buffett concerts with?"

Olivia laughed and clambered back up onto the deck, reaching down to pull Dom back up. "Let me tell you, that was the first thing that came to my mind when Darby said you got attacked."

"You know it." answered Dom, sliding back onto the boat. "Okay, well lets head on in."

Elliot handed Olivia a towel as Dom started the engines and whipped the boat around. She smiled at him and wrapped it around her before walking down into the cuddy. Dom looked after her and said, "Careful of your head, baby. The doorframe's low."

"I got it." Olivia said, smiling broadly and sliding the door shut. Dom watched after her for a moment, his gaze filled with a sort of affection that was both brotherly and paternal. It was then that Elliot wondered if he would ever be as close to her as Dominic was. He felt his gut twist slightly and he sat back down on the chair. It was as though there was a void between him and Olivia, a void that Dominic had successfully transgressed.

"Exactly how did you two meet?" Elliot asked suddenly, glancing over at Dominic.

Dominic turned slightly and replied, "She came with a couple other cops to my father's apartment after he killed my mother. I was just coming out the front door after they had arrested my father and was not thinking quite straight. As soon as she approached me I tackled her. I… pinned her wrists above her head and was using my weight to hold her down. And then as she started yelling to her colleagues to stay back I got a good look at her and realized that she was a lady cop. I let her go right away and sort of flopped onto my back. Olivia stayed next to me as I was screaming and yelling about my father and how I wished he would have just killed me rather than leave me alive with the knowledge of what he had done. And then she looks down at me and tells me that I will be alright, she made it through it." Dominic grinned slightly and then continued, "I, naturally, then asked her if she wanted to meet me for dinner in a week or two. She actually said yes. Weird I know. But that's pretty much how it went."

"Wait… she made it through what?" Elliot questioned, looking over as he heard the cuddy door slide open.

Dominic looked taken aback and paused before saying, "Olivia, did you not tell him?" Olivia, in a dry Coast Guard shirt, hesitated before shaking her head. "Oh. Oops." Dom said, turning slightly red and focusing on the steering wheel.

* * *

That evening Elliot and Olivia sat on her couch glancing through their profiles. "Okay, I am Elliot Williams from San Diego and head of a large shipping company. I went to Princeton and then married a woman named Lucia. We had two kids and then divorced. I met you three years ago. We got married after you got pregnant and have a two and a half year old son."

"Nice. I went to NYU and now work as a clothing model for various companies. That's really great." muttered Olivia, irritably flipping through her profile.

Elliot grinned. "So basically we are a wealthy couple having a good time boating."

"Ya. Pretty much." answered Olivia, tossing aside the file. Then she looked away slightly and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my father. I guess it never really came up."

"Don't worry about it." Elliot responded, squeezing her hand gently. "But you turned out just perfect."

Olivia smiled at him and glanced over at her baby. "Thanks."

"So tomorrow we get to go undercover and figure out whose smuggling prescription drugs and raping women who get in the way. Piece of cake." Elliot said, laying down on his back.

Olivia shook her head and pinched his side gently, "Alice will be here in the morning early to look after Daeman while we're gone, so if you want to crash on the couch, you are welcome too."

"I think I will take you up on that, partner." Elliot said, "Thanks."

"See ya in the morning, Mr. Williams." Olivia answered, standing and scooping up Daeman. Daeman opened his eyes slightly as he clutched her shirt with one fist and looked over at Elliot. Elliot smiled widely and stood to give the baby a kiss on the forehead. As he pulled away he gave Olivia a slight hug. She rubbed his back lightly before stepping off.

* * *

Detective Lennie Briscoe yawned slightly as he finished filling out a report. He glanced up as he heard the door to the lieutenant's office open. Darby walked out with another person he hadn't seen before, both talking quietly. He stood slowly and walked over. "I almost finished this, do you want me to leave it on your desk?" Lennie asked, and Darby nodded swiftly. Then he glanced over at the other man, clad in standard Coast Guard issue clothing. "Do you work with Dominic Liechtenstein?"

The man also nodded and said, "Ya, he's my boss, but probably not for much longer."

"I worked his mother's homicide with SVU. Nice guy. Is he quitting the Coast Guard?"

"You could say that. He's having surgery on his knee tomorrow, and won't be back to work for at least a week. I get command of the marina for the time being."

"Oh. I heard about what happened. In fact, didn't you call Detective Benson about it, Lieutenant?" Lennie questioned, well aware that the two weren't appreciative of the intrusion.

"Yes I did."

Later that evening Lennie was sorting through some files, because something was really bothering him. The time of the attack had been at 7 am, but he vividly remembered Darby calling someone at 6:30, as he had been at work early. Who it was, he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling it was Olivia. He knew he would have to tread carefully, but he needed to find out how Darby knew that the Coast Guard would be attacked a half hour after he called- or if it was just a weird coincidence.

A/N #2: Okay, I know this is sort of a transition chapter, but the next will pick up the pace, I promise! R&R!


	9. Undercover

A/N: Oh wow. My deepest apologies, its been so long! I just didn't have time to put this up before I left for a 3 week trip to the British Isles- plus with the terrorist attacks in London, it has taken a while to notify all the family that we are okay! Sorry!

Hope this is good, but I promise the next chap will be a lot better!

By the way, if any of you have read my trilogy (the third one being 'The Last Case') I have a question for you. During my trip I developed loads of writing ideas, and wrote out the beginnings a tentative sequel.

So, the question is- should I post it, or do you think that plot line is all done?

Disclaimer: They just aren't mine.

"Good morning Ms. Benson!" exclaimed Alice as she stepped inside. Olivia smiled and adjusted Daeman in her arms.

"Morning Alice. Are you sure you can handle this little guy for a couple weeks?"

"Sure thing." Alice replied, "He's the best baby I have ever looked after."

"Thanks." Olivia said with a grin, "I got to go get ready."

"Who's that?" Alice questioned suddenly, looking over at the couch.

"Oh, that's my partner, Elliot Stabler." Olivia replied quickly, trotting over to wake him up. Alice looked at Daeman and then at Elliot, sizing up the similarities. Olivia turned and rolled her eyes. "No, he's not the father. I told you, his father won't ever be making an appearance here."

Olivia carefully slipped into her sundress, tying the halter top tightly and pulling up the zipper. She eyed her six inch heels with a sigh and quickly put them on before adjusting her wedding ring and bracelet. After she finished curling her hair she grabbed her rolling suitcase and hurried out of the bathroom. She stopped short upon seeing Elliot in his casual shorts and T-shirt, looking good as ever.

"You look great." Elliot said, looking at her with a smile.

"You too." Replied Olivia.

As soon as they arrived at the marina, they mentally steeled themselves to slip into their personas and headed confidently down the docks. Almost instantly, they were noticed by a man in his early fifties who was lounging about on the deck of his large yacht. He grinned and jumped onto the gently waving wooden planks, hurrying over to greet them. "Hi! I'm Rich Woods, you guys must be the couple whose boat arrived last night. Dear lord, its nice looking."

Elliot smiled and snaked an arm around Olivia's waist. "Thank you. I am Elliot Williams, this is my wife, Liv."

"Nice to meet you both. Mind if I tag along to check out your vessel?" he asked, obviously very interested.

"We'd love to have you." Olivia said, her eyes glittering in the sunlight.

Their boat wasn't far away, and as soon as they reached it, Rich exclaimed, "Where did you get it?"

Elliot and Olivia glanced at one another, barely masking the _holy shit _expressions on their faces. Elliot successfully managed to answer, "A boat dealer in Jersey. It's the brand new Chaparral Signature 350. I picked the brand and so my wife gets to name it." With that he placed a loving kiss to her temple and Olivia affectionately squeezed his arm.

Rich grinned and said, "Careful Elliot, I did the same thing with my wife, and now I get to drive around a boat named _Victoria's Secret._" This sent all three into a fit of laughs before Rich confirmed, "I am not kidding. It's got a red trim so she thought it was fitting. My friends still haven't let me live it down."

Olivia gave one last chuckle before saying, "Well, this one's name isn't too embarrassing. Plus I picked the color so I don't have too bad of taste, right sweetie?"

With a slightly raised eyebrow Elliot replied, "Oh I don't know… I still think yellow would have been lovely." As Olivia stared back indignantly Elliot laughed and said, "Just kidding. Cobalt blue is gorgeous, baby."

"So what is its name?" Rich questioned.

"_Margaritaville," _Olivia answered easily, and both Elliot and Rich nodded appreciatively.

"Oh, I was going to bring the _Secret_ out. Maybe you two want to join us with _Margaritaville_?"

Elliot and Olivia glanced at one another before he answered, "Sure. We just have to unpack our stuff."

Rich grinned and said, "Nice. It's always fun to go out with someone else. You have a very beautiful boat."

Olivia had to agree as she stepped on board. The back deck had several spots to sit, a sink, and an extended platform that made for a perfect sundeck. The steering wheel and display were dark mahogany wood with attractive silver lining. But nothing quite compared to the inside of the cabin. Three steps down from the main deck were a small kitchen and bathroom, followed by a large bed nestled right in the bow. As she threw her bag onto it, Elliot quickly slammed the door shut and exclaimed, "Oh my God, this is amazing."

"Tell me about it." Olivia replied, flopping onto her back. She rolled over onto her side, shoving her purse into a compartment.

Elliot smiled at her as she rolled over to lay on her back. He pressed a hand to her belly and rubbed lightly. Olivia was surprised by the gesture but shut her eyes in contentment. After a moment he raised his hand to rest gently on her cheek. "I think that this undercover assignment may just be the best I have ever been on." At this, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

_Margaritaville _stole quietly out of the harbor, Olivia hesitating just before reaching the buoys that signaled the end of the no-wake zone. Sure enough, moments later, Rich came plugging along beside them. "Ready?" he yelled over at them, his wife standing just behind him. Olivia nodded, pushing the throttle forward. In no time at all, they were jetting through the water.

Olivia smiled broadly as the large boat clipped along, lunging over gentle waves and turning easily. She shook her head slightly the get the hair the wind had displaced from over her eyes. As she did so, they hit a slightly larger wave which made the boat lurch. Elliot laughed from his co captain seat while Olivia smiled even wider. "Hey Liv… what's wrong with Rich?"

She turned to see the _Secret _hesitating back in the water, growing smaller by the minute. "Nothing, he just wants to play in our wake."

Elliot looked a little surprised and kept his eyes locked on the boat. Suddenly _Secret _

They played about for an hour before Rich told them he had to head back. Olivia waved goodbye and then let Elliot take the wheel for a while. She climbed down into the cuddy, unlocking the smooth wooden cabinet that held a couple files. Sitting down lightly as the boat bounced over a wave, Olivia opened it up. Sienna Miller, aged 34, raped a half mile from the docks, evidently on the way to her car. Georgia Sterling, aged 28, raped on her boat just after returning from a day on the ocean. There were also others, but they weren't as clearly connected to the smuggling ring. Those two were the main focus.

Olivia sighed, gazing through the files. The amount of drugs being smuggled in wasn't spectacular- but quite enough to attract attention. Most unfortunately, it was true that three times as many were getting in since Dom took command four years previously. For whatever reason, Narcotics had stayed quite stumped and only when the rapes had started occurring had SVU gotten involved. But, as years with Dom had proven to Olivia, it was nearly impossible to penetrate the little circle at the marina from the outside. She felt another jolt as the boat hit a wave and fell slightly sideways, gazing out the small one way glass cuddy windows. Bright reds lights flashed up ahead, and Olivia quickly got up and hurried out.

"Elliot… you need to stop. I think we are getting pulled over." Olivia said, walking over to him. He eased off the throttle, causing the boat to glide to a slow stop. They both turned around to see the Coast Guard boat zooming up behind them, lights flashing. As it came to a stop behind them, they saw the driver throw a dock line over to them. Elliot killed the engine and hurried over to grab the line, fastening it to the clasp on their boat. Olivia threw the fenders over the side so that the boats wouldn't damage each other as they floated around tied together. She then fastened the back line and looked over at the Coast Guard. Gianna gazed back at them with a grin.

"You two were way to easy to catch." She said, gesturing for them to step over onto her vessel. As they did she continued, "I was just thought that I would give you a couple messages inconspicuously- no one around here doubts the Coast Guard pulling you over."

"That's for sure. What's up?"

Gianna grinned, "Some guy invited me to this party tonight on the yacht _Mercury. _It would be a good way for you both to mingle."

Elliot raised his eyebrows, eying the petite woman. "Don't you think they would find it odd that we just showed up?"

"Nope. Trust me. Just show up acting confident and they will let you right in. I am surprised he invited me though… I am way out of his league." Gianna replied, her dark eyes lighting up in amusement.

Olivia rolled her eyes and said, "Naturally." After a moment, they both laughed and Gianna readjusted her thick hair over her shoulder.

Then she looked over at Elliot. "I know you probably think I am a bitch. But really, that's just how Dom and I are. You know, I'm second in command, he's the boss. I have to give him shit. Plus, it doesn't help that he's seen me without my clothes."

"It's alright Gianna. Elliot didn't think that. I told him you were playing with Dom the other day on the dock." Olivia interrupted quickly, glaring over at Elliot, who gave a very confused nod.

Gianna shook her head. "No. Actually the real reason why is because I went out with him for almost two months, and he never got any better. I mean, I always thought that if I did enough for him he would get over what happened. But he didn't. In fact, the only time I ever saw him happy was when we talked about Olivia."

Olivia flushed slightly and said, "He did like you, believe me."

"But back to the point, I hope you both have fun tonight." Gianna said, and with that she started back to the front, tossing the line free. Elliot and Olivia leapt back over to their boat and finished untying them. "So, how does next Tuesday sound for another meeting?" Gianna called over her engine as it started up.

"Great, where?" Olivia asked.

"How about buoy 112? It's pretty far out there, and if we meet at like eight in the evening no one will see us."

"Okay, see you then."

As she sped away, Elliot and Olivia quickly headed back to the dock, and no one noticed the small boat floating nearby.

Olivia sighed as she glanced down at her drink, the wind blowing her loosely curled hair about her face. The sky was dark, with the stars glimmering dimly through the cloud cover. In the distance, thunder echoed ominously as the water lapped up around the edges of the yacht _Mercury. _She shivered slightly, feeling rather uncomfortable in the light sundress she wore and the heeled shoes. Wrapping her arms gently around her stomach she leaned back in the cushioned bench and gazed at the dance floor on the top deck. People were milling about, chatting about the latest edition of Crown Line cabin cruisers and techniques for slalom waterskiing.

"Olivia! Are you okay?" questioned Mariah, a middle aged woman who had befriended Olivia early on at the party.

She forced a smile and replied, "Ya. Just a little tired."

"Oh. Well I was just making sure. You look a little lost," said Mariah.

Olivia sat up straighter, mentally berating herself for getting so out of her façade. "Not at all."

Mariah gave her a sympathetic smile and sat down beside her. "You and your husband having trouble?"

"No, I really am just exhausted. All the excitement today." Olivia explained.

"Good. Your husband is a cutie." Mariah said, grinning.

Olivia laughed and gazed over to where Elliot was socializing with a group of guys. He glanced back at her, quickly excusing himself and coming to her side. "Baby, you okay?"

"Of course," Olivia replied, standing and lightly taking his arm, "But I was wondering if we could head back soon."

"Sure." Elliot replied, slipping his arm around her waist.

"See you tomorrow?" Olivia asked hopefully, and Mariah nodded with a grin.

"Yep. We can have lunch together."

Just before they could head out, they ran into Rich, his wife Sarah, and his daughter. "Elliot, Liv! I didn't know you were going to be here!" he exclaimed.

Olivia smiled and said, "We didn't either."

His daughter suddenly seized his arm, asking, "Dad, isn't that the Coast Guard lady?"

They all looked over, and it was in fact Gianna. Rich nodded and rolled his eyes as his daughter continued to gaze around hopefully. "Alexandria rather enjoyed the experience when she and her partner, Dominic, pulled me over for having the starboard bow light out."

Alexandria looked scandalized, slapping his arm. "He was so hot. But I haven't seen him around lately."

"Oh God, please don't start." Rich said, clamping his hands over his ears. Alexandria scowled and stomped away. After a moment Rich continued, "You should hear her go on about how he looks so much like this old poster they have in the backroom of the Old Navy store her friend works at. Fourteen year old girls, aren't they something?"

Olivia smiled slightly and said, "Imagine that."

They walked out into the cool evening, Olivia's arm tucked tightly into the crook of his elbow.

"Well, so far, all I have been able to gather is that I rather enjoy these people's company. That George guy is hysterical." Elliot said as they stepped into their boat, "But I haven't seen a single incriminating thing."

Olivia furrowed her brow thoughtfully, ducking into the cuddy. "Me neither. I really think we are going at this from the wrong angle."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I think its good we are here, but I don't think these are the people. Hopefully we will be able to pick up some hints as to weird occurrences, but otherwise…"

Elliot nodded. "And ideally those hints will led us to the people connected on the outside."

"Right," replied Olivia, double checking that the door was locked before turning off the main cabin lights. Before she could turn back around, Elliot wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed his cheek to her hair, breathing gently against her face. Olivia ran her hand over his arm as he pulled her closer, kissing her neck gently. After a moment he slipped his hand to her hip, deftly untying her sarong. Olivia turned quickly as it fell to the ground, but did not try to move from his embrace. Suddenly he put his hand to the back of her neck, pushing her lips hard against his. She drew her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He moved his hand down her thigh, dragging it up to his hip. Olivia winced slightly when her back slammed against the wall as she drew her other leg around him.

Her spine tingled as he slipped a cold hand to the small of her back and around to her stomach. Elliot gently bit her lower lip and then pulled away slightly, allowing her to press her forehead to his shoulder. He carefully carried them over to the bed and set her down before climbing up beside her. Olivia laid a hand to his chest before kissing him again, curling up against his side.

Elliot ran his hand lightly up and down her arm, shutting his eyes. She had fallen asleep a couple hours before him, still dressed in her swimsuit. He sighed quietly, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. Olivia stirred slowly, looking up at him with a tired grin. "That was some very intense making out last night, Stabler. Didn't know you had it in you."

As Elliot scowled back, Olivia rolled over to slip out of bed smiling so broadly it made her face hurt. After a moment Elliot asked, "You didn't?"

With a slight headshake, Olivia turned back to him. He looked up at her very seriously as she knelt over him and interlaced her fingers in his. "Just kidding. I knew you did." She said, kissing him sweetly. Elliot looked relieved.

The days of the week went by quickly. On Sunday night, Olivia was invited by Mariah to come with her on a late night jog.

"I mean honestly, can he really expect me to know how to clip the new fenders on our boat correctly? I told him that…" Mariah panted as they ran along the wooden docks, jabbering about her irritating husband. Olivia took to simply smiling and shaking her head sympathetically until something caught her attention. "It's not like I _saw _the boat coming, they didn't have their lights on. So how can he think I could have possibly gotten a registration number? Not that I didn't want to, asshole nearly drove a hole through my boat he was in such a rush."

"When was that?" Olivia questioned, her interest peaked.

Mariah shrugged. "A couple nights ago. But really, lately that's happened to a lot of people."

"How come you didn't mention any of this to the Coast Guard?" Olivia asked carefully.

But Mariah wasn't in the least bit affronted, and was instead quite stunned. "Isn't it obvious? The last time someone mentioned anything suspicious they almost drowned Dominic."

Olivia slowed slightly, "Who talked to him?"

"I can't remember. But not a day later and his head was being held underwater."

"So he was the only one that knew?"

"Well no… it was him and his partner, the cute Italian girl." Mariah said simply as she checked her watch. "Thanks for coming, I am going to head in instead of doing another lap, is that alright?"

Olivia nodded and watched her trot off the short distance towards her boat. When she was quite sure that she was alone, Olivia turned and jogged off in the direction of the Coast Guard station. The lights were on in a few rooms, but they didn't ease Olivia's sense of discomfort. As she rounded the corner, muffled voices caught her attention. Olivia slid to a halt just before she came to the front of the building. Creeping around the corner, Olivia carefully eyed the front door. A loud thud behind her made her jump.

"It's probably unwise to wander the docks at such a late hour, Detective."


	10. Lies and Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own them, NBC and Dick Wolf do, but I do own reviews…. So…

Olivia let out a sigh of relief as Dom's coworker, Mark, smiled at her. "How's it going?"

"Fine. People are coming and going, but so far we have seen nothing to indicate drug trafficking." Olivia whispered back.

Mark nodded thoughtfully. "Let me walk you back to your boat." Olivia smiled in appreciation and followed him down the docks. He gently patted her shoulder before she stepped on board _Margaritaville. _"Good luck. I hear you are meeting Gianna tomorrow."

Olivia shrugged. "We'll see."

Elliot was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head resting in his hands. She grinned and walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He looked up and the dim light jumped across his blue eyes. As he set his hands on her forearms Elliot said, "Are you sure you went jogging? You don't look the least bit sweaty or tired."

"We didn't run as far as I usually do. But… I am sure there are ways I could fix the problem." Olivia said seriously, though her face was clearly trying to hide amusement. With a wide grin Elliot leaned forward, kissing her gently. Olivia sighed softly, allowing her arms to slip around his neck. He shifted down to her neck, breathing lightly on her skin as he kissed just above her collarbone. Olivia tensed slightly as he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed down, making her sit on the edge of the bed. He then gently laid her down and knelt with a knee on either side of her waist. Running his hands down her arms, Elliot kissed her jaw. Olivia shut her eyes in contentment as he slipped hands over her collarbone and down to her belly. She slowly drew her arms over her head, letting him slide her shirt off. He kissed her again with a sudden fervor and hooked his thumbs around her shorts, pulling them off too. Olivia jerked at his boxers as he kissed her shoulder and quickly dropped them to the floor. Elliot then looked down at her, his deep blue eyes searching hers. She smiled back at him before sliding her hands to his hips.

A few hours later, Olivia shifted slightly, pushing sweaty hair out of her eyes as she looked down at Elliot. He stroked her back as ran her hands across his face. After a moment she said, "I love you, Partner."

Elliot smiled and reached up to caress her jaw. "I love you too, beautiful."

She grinned broadly back, leaning down to kiss him again. They spent the better part of the day napping in the cuddy of their boat, only getting up when they absolutely had to get ready to meet Gianna.

"I am positive that this is where it was." Olivia muttered, eying the map of the coastline. Elliot leaned over her shoulder, examining the map for himself. Their boat idled easily, gently rocking in the waves. "Gianna ought to be here."

"Maybe she's running late. And the buoy looks close enough."

"No, it's not. This part of the coastline is extremely rocky. It's already getting dark and if that buoy isn't in the right spot, we are liable to run over some."

"Why would the buoy have been moved?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Olivia responded with a sigh, closing the map. "I guess we will have to see."

Nearly a half hour later, they finally heard the drone of an engine approaching. The skyline was almost completely dark and Olivia was getting edgy. It was not a good idea to be out on the boat so late. So she eagerly leapt up upon hearing the sound, leaning over the side of the _Margaritaville. _Elliot came up to stand beside her and they watched as the Coast Guard raced towards them. Olivia felt a sick jolt in her stomach as she realized that it was not Gianna's boat.

Though slightly smaller than theirs, the Coast Guards vessels had heavy metal points on their bows. Dom had never really explained the function to her, but at the moment Olivia knew it didn't really matter. "Elliot, get out of the way!" she exclaimed, seizing his arm and dragging him away from the edge. They scarcely had time to take three steps before the loud cracking of the boast colliding sent them sprawling to the floor. The alarm immediately went off, the bright red light on the steering display flashing as it indicated hull damage. Olivia scrambled to her feet first, staggering across the heavily swaying floor to the steering wheel. She knew one thing- they had to get closer to the marina. Jamming the throttle down she pivoted the boat around. But something was desperately wrong. The nose of the boat didn't rise up, as it should have, but rather sank down lower. "It's not going to plane out!" she screamed as Elliot came racing up beside her.

Darting to the edge of the deck, Olivia leaned over the railing, seeing that the little water drainage holes on either side of the bow were gushing out water. The hull was flooding. The boat was not going to make it.

* * *

Dominic slowly made his way down the dock, much to his displeasure. He had quickly discovered that crutches prohibited any rapid movement. As he reached the Coast Guard station he noticed one light still on, glimmering though the closed blinds. He reached the door, wiggling out of the crutches and laying them up against the wall. As he pulled on the handle, he found it to be locked. "This is Dominic, open up the door." He called, slamming his fist against the door, not feeling like grabbing his key. The only sound he heard was a slight tinkling of broken glass rustling on the floor. He furiously slammed his shoulder against the door, "Open up the god damn door!" When he did it again, the door broke free. He stepped inside, his knee furiously protesting the weight.

He moved quietly around a corner, his heart catching in his throat as he looked down. Lying with her arm brushing a pile of broken glass was Gianna. She opened her eyes slightly but didn't move a lot more than that. Blood dripped from gashes on her arms and smeared her thighs, heavy bruising on her chest and face. Dom quickly reached over into the cabinet, jerking out one of the blankets they kept for cold nights on the boats. Then he raced to her side, tossing it over her. She immediately flinched, closing her eyes tightly, slight tremors running through her body. When he reached over to pull her arm off the glass, she screamed. "Gianna… sweetheart, its okay. It's Dominic. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just have to get your arm off this, alright?" Dom told her, gently running a hand over her forehead. Her breathing slowed slightly and as he moved the arm she looked up at him.

"Dom… I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him." she whispered, gripping the blanket with one hand.

"It's not your fault baby. Just relax alright? I'm going to get you some help." He said, and she nodded as he picked up his cell phone, listening as he talked to the operator. "Ya, okay, well I really want to talk to her, so could I just put my phone down until you guys get here? I won't hang up." He said after giving the basic information. Evidently he got an okay, as he set the phone down and ran a hand over her cheek.

"Dom I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about." Dom told her, gently pushing some sweaty hair out of her face.

"No… I know you're not supposed to fight back. But it really hurt so I kicked him. That's when he threw me up against the desk." She muttered, her breathing becoming very halted.

Dom bit his lip and said softly, "It's alright. Do you know who it was?"

Gianna didn't seem to hear, and instead just said, "I couldn't move much after that." Dominic nodded and slowly peeked under the blanket, slipping his hand under her back. As his fingers grazed over a couple obvious deformities he knew that it had been broken. She gasped in pain, instantly reverting back to her delirium. "Please, don't do it again! Please!"

Dominic quickly moved his hands back to her face. "I am not going to hurt you, I promise. Just relax, okay? Help is on the way."

Gianna slowly nodded, seizing his hand. He squeezed back gently, glancing over at the wall, where bloody smears told him that was probably where she was raped first. Then they had thrown her against the desk, broken the glass, and raped her again on the floor when she couldn't fight back. She shut her eyes, relaxing slightly as her breathing took a turn for the worse. "Dominic… I am really sorry I was so mean to you after we broke up. You really were the nicest any guy ever was to me."

Dom looked down at her, attempting to smile, and said quietly, "Oh please. I was a moody arrogant asshole."

"No… you weren't." she replied, lightly tracing her fingers across his palm. "Well, maybe the arrogant and moody part." Dom laughed, though he found it impossible not too cry at the same time. Gianna smiled slightly at him. "See, we can still joke around. Just like old times."

"Ya." Dom replied, pressing his hand to his eyes. Suddenly he looked up. The shower had just shut off in the back room. He hadn't noticed the slight humming noise it made before, but its absence made the room fall into an eerie silence.

The door opened, and footsteps clicked across the floor. Gianna tensed as she turned her head slightly to look down the hall, her breathing stopping momentarily. Then she turned back to Dom. "Don't let him hurt me again." She begged, squeezing Dominic's hand with exceptional vigor.

Dominic nodded, looking up furiously at the man who had just entered. "I won't." he said softly to her, then much more firmly, "Hello Mark."

* * *

Olivia winced as the spotlight from the other boat blinded her briefly. Her heart slammed against her chest as she darted back over to Elliot. "Elliot, kill the engine. Quickly." He nodded, and the boat shut down, the last ring of the alarm echoing loudly in their ears.

"It doesn't look like your boat stood up to the impact. I didn't think it would. I was informed that the Coast Guard has their boats made much sturdier." said a mans voice, and you could hear the dark amusement. He stepped out into the light and Olivia felt her heart came to a crashing halt. Smiling widely at her he continued, "Thought I would find you here Olivia. But hey, this time your boyfriend isn't my cousin. This is all the more unfortunate for you, because now he can't save you." Olivia stared back at Darby, her hand shaking slightly on the steering wheel. "Speaking of whom, I heard that you two were banging each other last year. Interesting. Now tell me- had you screwed my cousin before me, or was he sort of an afterthought."

Elliot let out an angry breath and was about to reply when Olivia elbowed him and shrieked, "Shut up, Darby!"

"Oh, that's right. You are a little stressed because your boat is sinking. Sorry, forgot about that. But why don't you answer the question, just for grins."

Olivia looked defiantly up at him and snapped, "It's not your business. And please don't tell me that you are still jealous that Dom got the MVP award on your soccer team in grade school."

Darby glared at her. "I wouldn't piss me off now, Olivia. Answer the question, and maybe I will consider helping you out. Did you have sex with my cousin before you did me?"

Olivia smirked. "I guess you still are jealous. That's very cute."

Darby hissed angrily, yanking the gun off his belt.

* * *

Mark just stared at Dom, still tucking his shirt into his pants. "Dominic, what the Hell happened?"

"You know very well you fucking bastard!" Dom exclaimed, struggling to his feet. He unclipped the gun he now carried regularly at his belt and pointed it at Mark. "I really hope you give me a reason to kill you."

Mark swallowed, "Dominic… look. I didn't want to hurt her. She just wouldn't stop fighting and screaming. If she would have just dealt with it, I wouldn't have been so rough with her. She's so pretty I really didn't want too."

Dom felt a slight tug on his pant leg and he looked down briefly. Gianna was completely panicked. "Dominic, you have to listen to me. Elliot and Olivia went out on their boat. They are going to buoy 112."

"Shut up you stupid bitch!" Mark exclaimed, starting to swing a foot towards her. Dom blocked it with his leg, instantly realizing it was a bad idea as his knee flared up in excruciating pain. He lowered his gun for a brief second and Mark lunged at him, knocking him to the floor. Dom felt his eyes water in pain as he knee bent completely the wrong way, followed by a soft pop. Mark tightened a hand around his throat, and in that instant, he knew just what he had to do.

Still, afterwards, he was stunned. Dom felt his hands shaking as he pushed the dead weight off of him, the sound of the shot still echoing in his ears. He stumbled forward and collapsed at Gianna's side. But she had closed her eyes. "Gianna… no. You aren't going to die on me!" he screamed, shaking her shoulder gently. She didn't move. He ran a shaking hand across her face as he heard the distant ring of sirens. "I'm sorry." He whispered, kissing her forehead before standing. Ducking out the side access doors, he glanced around for his boat. It wasn't there.

* * *

Elliot jumped forward, pulling Olivia down as glass showered around them. When he looked up again he saw that the steering display had been ruined- including the radio. Darby just leaned over the railing of his boat, smiling wickedly. "Too bad this undercover operation was doomed from the start. The only people you told about it- with the exception of Dom and Gianna- were the ones you were trying to catch." Olivia looked up, the horrifying implications of what he was saying hitting her like a ton of bricks. Darby shrugged nonchalantly. "Too bad your kid didn't die when I had that guy attack you. You know… whatever made you so sure that I was Daeman's father? Because, just keep this between you and me, I can't have kids. My cousin, however, is of the blood type B. Aren't you A?"

"Darby! Don't even try to do this. I know for a fact that you are Daeman's father."

"Is that so? Then how is it that your kid is AB? Don't bother to deny it, I checked your medical records when I visited your apartment. My cousin seemed to think it a step in the right direction that I wanted to see my kid, so he let me in."

Elliot turned to stare at Olivia, who was looking absolutely floored. "You told me you were type B," she whispered.

Darby shrugged. "Since when have I ever told you the truth about anything? I only said that to keep you off my back so I could deal with more important things. But, if you must know, I am type O." Olivia stared, her face ashen. "Anyways, see you both later. I am sure that you will wash up on shore someday."

With that, Darby gunned the engine, the deep wake of his boat sending theirs into a fit of tossing. Olivia rolled over onto her back, crunching on some shattered glass, her face buried in her hands. "Olivia…" Elliot began, unsure of anything to say.

She slowly lowered her hands, a tear sliding down her cheek. Then she stood and hurried over to the cabinet, seizing a couple life vests. "You'll need this."


	11. In the End

Elliot couldn't think of a thing to say as he slowly slipped into the vest. Olivia, as forthcoming as she always was, remained silent. Finally Elliot couldn't stand it anymore and said, "I am sure that he was just saying that to rile you." Olivia nodded without responding, spending a great deal of time adjusting the straps on her life vest. "Olivia…"

"Ya… I bet you're right." Olivia answered shakily, smiling weakly at him.

Elliot stood rooted to his spot. "What are you not telling me?" When she remained silent again, he exclaimed, "You did sleep with him!"

"Look… it was just once… it wasn't supposed to happen!"

"That was the one thing you two so staunchly maintained! The one thing you swore never happened!" Elliot exclaimed, unable to keep his temper from rising.

Olivia bit her lip and then muttered, "I know."

"What was your plan then? To blame Darby the rest of your life and let your best friend get off?"

"No. I still don't know. I always thought that Darby was the father because I was two weeks late when... but Darby never contested being Daeman's father, so I didn't think that the matter needed further investigation."

"But I didn't need to know about it then."

"Elliot, its not…"

"Olivia…. I know you love him. Wouldn't it make it easier for all of us if you two just acknowledged that?" Elliot snapped, gripping the side of the rocking boat.

"No! Elliot, it was a one time, stupid thing we did, nothing more. I didn't tell you because I do love him, as my best friend strictly, and thought that if you knew you wouldn't trust me to be around him anymore." Olivia said, her voice sincere.

Elliot didn't respond and so Olivia walked over to the radio, eying the equipment to see if there was anyway of salvaging it to make a distress call. When she was certain there wasn't, she turned back to him. "This probably isn't the best time or place to discuss this."

* * *

Dominic staggered back across the dock, suddenly eying the boat across from him. He ran over to the door, banging heavily. The girl who had been lounging in front of the TV stood and ambled over, gazing through the glass door. Her eyes widened as she flung it open. "Hi. I need to borrow the boat." Dom said simply. The girl turned brilliantly red and reached over to the counter, grabbing the keys labeled _Victoria's Secret. _"Thanks." Dom said, hurrying inside. The girl just stared at him. "Could you get the dock lines?"

* * *

Olivia never saw it coming. With a violent pitch, the waves sent the already partially capsized boat over onto its side. She slammed against the water with painful intensity. Gasping from the cold and from the surprise, Olivia glanced around for Elliot. "Elliot!" she exclaimed, kicking hard away from the boat. Her eyes widened as she saw him floating rather limply nearby. Swimming over, Olivia seized his vest, pulling him back so that his head rested against her collarbone. "Elliot… it's going to be okay. I can get us out of here." Olivia murmured, gently touching above the gash on his forehead. He didn't respond, obviously knocked out cold.

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Olivia swam carefully backwards, dragging Elliot by the life vest. It was quite a lot harder than she had predicted. The buoy wasn't that far off, but through the choppy water it was proving close to impossible. She felt a brief surge of panic as the bow light of their boat disappeared under the water, the sinking of the boat an utterly eerie thing to watch.

* * *

Dominic shifted his grip on the steering wheel nervously, jamming on the throttle as soon as he had the boat backed out. Alexandria came running upstairs and asked, "Do you need anymore help?"

"Just help me look for signs like flares or something. I know the general area they are in, but its kind of broad."

"Okay sounds good. Just let me turn this off." She said, reaching over to the entertainment system control panel. But instead of switching the radio off, it turned on the TV. "Oh… oops." She said, and Dom turned to look at it.

"You watching Buffy? Hey, this is the episode where she…" Dom abruptly stopped, turning away quickly. Alexandria gazed at him in even greater admiration.

"Ya! I was wondering, did you get the part where…" Alexandria asked him, though she was careful to keep scanning the horizon.

Dominic felt the pounding of his heart slow slightly as Alex coaxed him into a conversation, effectively diverting some of his attention away from what he had done. She was in the middle of a quite passionate speech about Angel when suddenly she exclaimed, "Dom! A red flare!"

* * *

Olivia reached out a shaking hand and seized the side of the buoy. With her other hand she held Elliot tight to her, who still hadn't given any indication of waking up. Her breathing came in ragged gasps and her whole body shook from the exertion. She couldn't believe how horribly this whole thing had ended up.

Suddenly, Elliot mumbled something. Olivia pulled him closer and said, "Elliot… you okay? I need you to stay awake for me, alright?"

"Liv… what happened?"

"The boat sank. I think you got knocked out by something."

"No… I mean with Dominic." Elliot muttered, closing his eyes again.

Olivia sighed. "I don't know. It wasn't our brightest moment."

"So you never really loved me?"

"Elliot… I love you. I just don't know how it would work out."

"You're right." Elliot said, rubbing the back of his head lightly. "So… is this it then?"

"What?"

"This thing we had, it's over."

Olivia stared at him for a second before slowly nodding. He looked sadly back at her, swimming slightly to grab the buoy.

"So, did you two want to be rescued, or am I interrupting?"

Olivia whipped around, turning to see Dom leaning over the edge of a red trimmed boat. She forced a smile and replied, "Nope. It's getting kind of chilly in here. Help Elliot first."

Dom nodded, throwing out a little buoy. Elliot seized it and allowed Dom to pull him over to the boat. He clamored onto the back deck and flopped with his back resting against the side. Alex trotted over to him, kneeling and gently helping take off his life vest. Elliot gratefully shed the sopping wet article and pulled the towel she offered tightly around himself. He stood a little unsteadily and began to make his way to the cabin. Pausing just before he went inside, Elliot turned to see Dominic kneeling on the deck with Olivia held tightly in his embrace. She was telling him something and he was looking quite stunned. However, the genuine concern he had for her had never been more evident than in that moment. Elliot looked away and quietly slipped into the cabin.

He was met by a very confused looking Mr. and Mrs. Woods. "Oh, hi Elliot." Rich said, rubbing his eyes lightly.

The door clicked quietly as Dom and Olivia made their way inside, Dom quite obviously struggling to make one step after another. Alex smiled broadly at him and turned to her dad. "Could you drive us back to the marina?"

Rich nodded slowly before asking, "What exactly is going on?"

"Long story." Alex said, "But we can tell you it later." With that she waltzed back over to Dom, handing him an icepack she had snatched from the refrigerator.

Olivia watched as Dom gingerly took it, laying it lightly on his knee. "What happened?"

Dom bit his lip before slowly pulling up the corner of his hoodie. Olivia gasped as she saw his shirt underneath was stained with blood. He quickly jerked it back down, focusing his attention on the ice pack. After a moment he said, "I came because I heard Briscoe was investigating Darby. I knew he was one of the only people who knew about you two, so I had to make sure you were okay. But when I got here, the station was a mess. I went in and… and… it was just like when I found my mom." He stopped abruptly, biting his lip harder.

Olivia put her hand on his shoulder gently, looking up as Elliot came in. "Elliot, could you come here please?"

"Sure. Thanks Dominic, we owe you one."

"It's not a problem. I wasn't about to let you two drown." Dom said, looking up. Elliot was surprised to see that his eyes were remarkably distant. He glanced over at Olivia, who shook her head.

"Dominic, what happened?"

He looked up, his eyes watery. After a long pause he slowly told what he had seen.

Rich guided the boat easily into the docks, eying the vast number of ambulances and police cars that all had their sirens flashing. He shook his head to clear it, marveling at how strange the night had been. His wife carefully tiptoed across the deck, glancing downstairs. It was quite a sight. The coast guard was dozing in Olivia's lap, his head resting against her shoulder. Elliot sat close by, looking at Olivia in concern. Alex was adjusting the ice pack on Dom's knee and talking quietly.

Immediately upon their arrival, Briscoe and two other uniforms jumped on board, dragging a very upset looking Darby behind them. "That's him! I swear, I saw him kill her! He always has been so unbalanced." he shrieked upon sight of Dom.

"Good, glad you acknowledge that you know him. I am sure now you will be more easily able to understand why you are being charged with his attempted murder." Briscoe said easily, shoving Darby back into the hands of the uniforms. Then he stepped forward and knelt beside Dominic. "You don't seem to be doing well. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Dominic nodded slowly, and Olivia squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before carefully standing and heading over to Elliot. Another officer came running in, asking breathlessly if they were okay. They nodded slowly before jumping onto the docks.

Olivia bit her lip as she stepped around the mess of papers on the ground, her gaze finding Gianna lying as if she were resting. Mark lay nearby, his arms raked with scratch marks and his face bruised. "We didn't do a thing to prevent this." Olivia muttered sadly, not taking her eyes off the dead girl.

"We can't save them all." Elliot replied, resting a hand very briefly on the small of her back.

"That doesn't make it okay." Olivia answered simply, turning to face him.

"No it doesn't. But you did some good work out there. I have got myself a gutsy partner, it appears." Elliot said, "You go take care of yourself. I'll see you at work."

Two Weeks Later

The downpour of rain hadn't let up for hours, causing the evening to be a rather chilly one. Olivia looked out the window and watched her breath mist over the slick glass. Wrapping her arms around herself, Olivia pressed her head up against it and shut her eyes. It had been quite the month. Darby had been convicted, both on Dominic's attempted murder and her attempted rape, but there was insufficient evidence to tie him to the drugs. Still, 25 years was nothing to sneeze at. Dominic had won his self defense case, getting only a few months probation. And the paternity test had come back, proving the Dominic was in fact Daeman's father.

This had had numerous repercussions in and of itself, namely that Dom's wedding was called off.

A cool hand on her shoulder made her jump. "Dominic…" she said with a sigh, turning and facing him with a suppressed smile.

He managed a smile back, gently adjusting the sleeping baby in his arms. "Sorry. He fell asleep so I thought you'd want to put him in his crib."

Olivia nodded and picked up Daeman, laying him down in the crib next to her bed. Dom leaned up against the wall, carefully easing weight off his knee. She noticed and hurried over to help him. "Thanks… I feel like such a kid. Can't walk on my own, drive anywhere, and I have a curfew."

"I imagine when you were a kid you could walk." Olivia said with a smile as they sat down on the bed.

"True. But still, the curfew thing takes some getting used to." Dom replied with a sigh.

Olivia playfully cuffed his shoulder. "I am sure it does. But you are lucky you only got probation. Briscoe certainly helped out in making your self defense case."

Dom nodded slowly, rubbing his hands together, paying particular attention to the bare spot where his ring used to be. "You know… sometimes I wish that he had just killed me."

"Dom! Don't say that! You're going to be okay." Olivia exclaimed, drawing his chin up.

"Does it ever stop hurting? Because right now..." He muttered, putting his face in his hands.

Olivia leaned her head up against his shoulder, a tear dripping down her cheek as she whispered so softly that he couldn't hear, "No, I don't think it does."

Almost instantaneously, Daeman let out a tiny cry and a soft knocking came at the door. Olivia stood, taking a step towards her baby before Dom laid a hand on her knee. "I got him."

She trotted over to the door and felt her heart jolt as she opened it. "Elliot… what are you doing here?" she said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I just thought I'd come by and see how you were. I missed you at work today."

"Ya, I just had to take Dom to the doctors. But I will be there the rest of the week, partner." Olivia said, a smile dancing across her features.

"Okay. See you then." Elliot replied after a moment, slightly taken back by the finality in her tone. Olivia nodded, watching him retreat back down the steps.

She clipped the door shut, turning to see Dom limping a few steps while carrying Daeman before saying, "Well that was pathetic."

"What was I supposed to say?" Olivia exclaimed, running a hand through her hair.

"I dunno… maybe invite him in? Something along those lines?" Dom said, his tone amused but flustered.

"I know… its just…" Olivia began, her voice trailing as she looked at her friend.

"Come on Olivia. What the hell are you standing there for? Go after him!"

Olivia grinned and quickly ducked out the door, leaping down the staircase. She darted out into the downpour of cold rain, glancing up and down for a sign of where he had gone. "Elliot!" she exclaimed, shoving a wet piece of hair from her eyes. "Elliot!" But no one answered. She dropped to her knees, feeling an awful sinking in her gut. For a few moments, Olivia didn't move, until she finally pushed her hand against the sidewalk to try to stand.

"Did you need something?" asked a quiet voice just in front of her. Olivia stood up so fast she would have fallen over had it not been for him steadying her.

"Elliot… I just wanted to say… even though it never would have worked out, it was still the most amazing time of my life." Olivia said quickly, holding his forearms gently.

Elliot smiled and reached up to take her face in his hands. "Mine too, Olivia Benson, mine too." She shut her eyes as he kissed her forehead lightly, and then threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Elliot. It's just with work…"

"I know. It's not your fault." He replied, "You know what Dominic said about you being the reason he got better?" Olivia looked up at him. "Well, lets just say I know exactly what he meant."

Olivia smiled; glad that he couldn't see the tear leaking down her rain soaked face. He squeezed her shoulder gently before beginning to step away. Olivia seized his hand and said softly, "One last time."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with unrestrained fervor. Elliot held her tightly against him, slipping one hand underneath her shirt to rest on her back. Olivia ran her hand down his jaw, leaning her head back as he kissed her neck. As he slowly drew back up to her lips, he took her face in his hands and murmured, "I am so glad that I met you, Olivia."

"Me too." Olivia replied before he kissed her again.

Olivia stood for quite a while in the rain after he left, gazing out into the distance. Finally she turned quite painfully back towards her apartment. She hurried up the steps and slipped inside to find Dominic eagerly awaiting her arrival. "So how'd it go?"

"It's over. It's over." Olivia said softly, looking at him with bright eyes.

"Olivia… you don't know that for sure."

"It would never have worked, Dominic."

"You never know Olivia. Someday you could look back on this little conversation and wonder what you were talking about."

Olivia smiled slightly. "I guess so."

"No, I know so."

Six Months Later

"I told you Olivia. Isn't it great to get out every once in a while? Particularly this time of year." Dominic said, bouncing happily over to the pool table. Olivia rolled her eyes as he went about setting up. "I can't wait until you meet my new team!"

Olivia looked at him in amusement. "What, since they made you captain you've been cutting people?"

"Hell no. Mike had to quit, so I just added one guy. After all Olivia, it's just supposed to be fun." Dominic said matter of factly.

Olivia just laughed in response, loosening her scarf from around her neck. The sports bar was particularly crowded that night, and it didn't take long for Dominic's teammates started to show up. She sighed and watched as her best friend played, a wash of memories flooding over her. Turning away Olivia ran a hand through her hair. This was not one of those times she wanted to get all nostalgic. The events of the past year were quite overwhelming at times- she was an SVU detective, a mom, living with her best friend, and working with the one person who…

"Olivia?" She jerked her head up, pulled out of her reverie. "Just wanted you to meet our newest member." Dominic said, and her eyes widened.

Elliot grinned back at her. "Dominic said he wanted someone to fill in, so I figured, why not?"

She just stared for a long while until he gave her arm a squeeze and sauntered back over to the pool table. Olivia turned fiercely to Dominic. "I see him at work everyday, Dom. Don't you think if we were going to get back together we'd have done it already?"

"No." Dom said simply, a wide grin lighting up his features. "You both are too stubborn to see what's right in front of your face."

Olivia indignantly stood, but he had already turned and was walking away. "Dominic!" He waved at her and kept walking.

She sighed in frustration, her gaze shifting to Elliot, who didn't notice. And then suddenly he looked back at her, his blue eyes glittering as he smiled. Olivia felt an odd surge of joy as she gazed over at him. She smiled back. Maybe in the end, things would work out. Maybe everything really did happen for a reason.

THE END……

R&R!


End file.
